


Gateways: The Red Fate

by DREAMi_Girl



Category: One Piece
Genre: F/M, Gen, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, Pirates, future nakamashipping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-27
Updated: 2014-07-14
Packaged: 2017-12-09 14:40:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 33
Words: 67,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/775357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DREAMi_Girl/pseuds/DREAMi_Girl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing. Kim discovers this when she's torn away from all she knows and thrust into a world where danger and death is an every day occurrence. Now she has to find away back to her family and there's only one way she can do that. Travel the Grandline in search of some answers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Masque of the Red Death

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: One Piece and its characters are copyright to Oda-sama and Funimation (plus all the other companies who have the rights, lucky bastards). OCs are copyright of me along with anything else the general public doesn't recognize, apart from certain characters that have been borrowed with explicit permission from the creators themselves.
> 
> Beta'd by Omicron the IceQueen (now, go give her praise and affection because she always reminds me to add stuff in!)

"Demon eyes, of a wild and ghastly vivacity, glared upon me in a thousand directions where none had been visible before, and gleamed with the lurid luster of a fire that I could not force my imagination to regard as unreal." – The Pit and the Pendulum, Edgar Allan Poe

* * *

Alchemy. The science of understanding the structure of matter, breaking it down, then reconstructing it into something else. It can even make gold from lead. But alchemy is a science. It must follow the natural laws. To create, something of equal value must be lost. This is the principal of equivalent exchange. (- Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist)

But what is equivalency is a world where boundaries fail to apply? When a single life means more than anything combined? What is equivalency when the price of a soul comes into question? Can a soul really be worth anything?

* * *

The street was bathed in the warm light that came with dusk and a gentle breeze drifted over the small town, causing the leaves to rustle quietly in their trees. It was beginning to get colder and the chill would be welcome after such a hot summer day. The somewhat ragged looking town was quiet and peaceful for the most part, relaxing in wait for the summer night.

However, it wouldn't be quiet for long.

Loud footsteps slapped against the pavement and the panicked breathing of someone filled the air in the abandoned part of town. A great deal of people had moved out of here years ago when the mill closed down and workers were no longer necessary.

A girl turned around the corner of Fifth and Shire, nearly slipping at the abrupt change in direction and catching herself just before she hit the ground, and she kept going.

The thought that came to Kim in that moment was: _Damn persistent bastard._

Her predator stood at an unnatural height (maybe over eight feet!), in a slight crouch that reminded her of an animal – and not the cute and cuddly kind.

He was a man made of sinewy muscles that rippled when he moved – Kim could easily see the way they moved beneath his shirt. Normally that thing would have intrigued her – she liked guys with a bit of muscle on them, it was her guilty pleasure – but now it just made her think about how easy it would be for him to hurt her with the power behind those muscles.

To make matters worse his hair was the color of blood, not that of a scratch or a casual prick of a finger that the doctors took. It was nasty crimson-black, the kind of blood people saw at a murder sight– they'd see it at hers, especially if he kept this up– and it made her stomach knot up. Kim never liked to see blood. His hair spiked out from his skull in a gravity defying manner Kim was accustomed to seeing in cartoons and comic books, anime and manga. It only added to his unnaturalness, much like those glowing green eyes did. They reminded her of a blood thirsty and starving panther.

Deadly.

Dangerous.

Her breathing came out in panicked gasps of terror and exhilaration. Beneath all the fear she felt it there was something else, an unexplainable thrill of being chased. Her exhausted body slammed into a filthy alley wall and her legs finally gave out, causing her to sink to the ground. Something sticky covered her hand and, had the situation been different, she would have found this to be disgusting. As Fate would have it, Kim had more pressing things on her mind.

Her tormentor had finally caught up to her.

She turned her head upwards, feeling rather small before the giant, blood haired man. She hunched her shoulders and pulled her legs close to her chest in an attempt to look smaller and more pitiful than she really was – an attempt to make the man feel bad and leave her alone, not that she thought it would work. However, her eyes were defiant; their golden hue gleamed with a determination. A determination to live.

In that moment of seeing that, a flicker of emotion passed over the man's face.

"You are Kimiya Leonore," he said in a dry deadpan of a voice, it grated on Kim's ears like nails on a chalkboard and she flinched violently. Her long brown hair stuck to her sticky, sweat covered arms and one strand in particular kept falling over her forehead. Amazingly, she found the time to be annoyed with it in such an oppressing situation. Turning her attention away from her annoying hair, she stared at her attacker.

He could be called handsome, she supposed, if he wasn't so damn frightening.

He had a strong jaw and a straight nose and– God, his eye lashes are long! Kim shook her head violently, nearly head butting the red head, as he had somehow moved in closer without her noticing and was less than a foot from her face. Kim resisted the urge to smack him – he wasn't one of her friends invading her personal space, hitting him would only make her situation worse.

The hot feeling of embarrassment flooded through Kim, causing her peachy colored face– which was rather blotchy at the moment from fear and all the running she had just done – to flush brilliantly. She looked as if she had dipped her head in a barrel of rouge.

"Destiny," the stranger said, his dry, dead tone making Kim want to scream, "Will never be kind to you. It has never been pleasant in the past and will continue to be that way in the future. But you are strong. I am curious to see what you will turn out to be and, if Fate allows, what you will turn into."

The dark haired teenager let out a startled gasp as the red head put an icy cold palm to her forehead. She lifted one of her arms – they felt like lead! – to shove him away, not caring if it would make things worse. She **hated** being touched by strangers.

Violent streaks of crimson began crawling down his skin from the inside of his sleeves and shirt collar. They twisted and writhed across his face to create a grotesque mask of death.

The Masque of the Red Death.

It frightened her and pained her to look at it. She whimpered and squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to avoid it. Those whimpers of fear turned into a cry of pain as tendrils of pain slid into her skin, over her forehead and chasing each other down her face. Twisting and writhing as she did in the red head's gasp.

It hurt– _oh God it hurts!_ – and made her want to die just to stop the pain. _Make it end!_

The pain didn't stop though.

In a last attempt to escape the pain and the stranger's touch, Kim reached out blindly and grabbed for his face. Whether or not she intended to claw his eyes out or just push him away would forever be a mystery. She was in too much pain to remember and passed out.

And as her limp hand fell to the ground – a marionette with its strings cut – a great, blinding light filled the dirty alley way, washing its dirty walls and slimy ground golden. . .

* * *

When awareness crept back upon her slowly, at first she simply laid there breathing deeply while her eyes started to twitch beneath their lids. Where was she? Who was she? Did she even exist?

Kim, she recalled. Her name was Kim, and if she had a name surely she must have existed? Her eyes twitched again. Ah, so she had eyes! If she had eyes than there must be a face to go with them and a body to go along with both of them put together. So, yes, she must exist. How odd, she mused, it is to find yourself in existence, but then there was still the question of where she was.

Her eyes– the first proof of her existence – flickered about after opening, finding nothing of significance to rest upon. There was silence and a smell that reminded her of cleanliness – like Bleach. Kim recalled that she hated bleach as it gave her headaches and stung her nose. Her hair hung limply around her shoulders and down her back, the warm brown a startling contrast against the smooth, white ground. It felt strange not hearing the blare of a car horn or the comforting thrum of her air conditioner at home. Total silence surrounded her and wrapped around her ears. It both startled and frustrated her. So to save herself from the insanity of nothingness – nothing seemed to be an appropriate name for it since there was literally _nothing_ here except for her and the ground, and space. Lots of space – she looked at her feet and started to tap them in a random rhythm to fill the silence up. It helped a bit. She took the chance to examine her feet as they moved.

They were smooth and unmarred, her toenails lacking the polish they had obtained a week ago. Funny, they were still painted when the red head had chased her. Upon looking at her feet to distract her from the Nothing, she also took a look at her body.

Strangely enough, she appeared to be naked. However, Kim had no issues with modesty at the moment – it wasn't like there was anyone there to ogle her – and sat there, examining herself. After all, it was important to confirm that existed. What if she was missing something?

Quickly confirming that she was whole and not missing anything, Kim reluctantly returned her eyes to the Nothing.

It was white, too white for her eyes. They stung and watered against the bright shine that seemed to come from nowhere. She used a hand to shield her damp eyes and squinted into the Nothing.

A dot.

There was a dot in the Nothing. She supposed that now there was something in it, the Nothing couldn't be called a Nothing anymore. Kim ran a pale hand through her hair.

"Well," she said to herself, rising to her feet. "Maybe I should go see what it is. It's better than just staying here by myself."

An eternity and shorter passed before the dot shifted into something more with details and red hair. Kim gaped at the figure of her attacker, who sat at the base of a large stone gate that towered high over the both of them.

"Welcome," the red headed man (Kim was tempted to call him Sir Creepy*) rumbled, green eyes glinting. He eyed her bare form curiously and in reaction Kim squeaked in alarm and crossed her arms over her chest. He laughed at her, a slightly awkward sound. "Here." The red head pulled off his cloak and threw it to her. Kim looked at him in disbelief.

What kind of mind-trip was she on? This man– didn't he just try to kill me? – was being nice to her? After what had happened not so long ago? Was he mad? What was with the sudden change of heart?

The red head chuckled, as if reading her mind while Kim slid the cloak on, clutching it around her chest.

"I was not made to kill you, Leonore. Merely to begin your destiny." He looked at the stone gate behind him as he finished his explanation with a delicate air. "Some felt that it was taking too long for you to begin your journey."

"Wha-?" Kim began, but was cut off by a great rumbling noise, before the ground shook beneath her bare feet and caused her to have trouble keeping her balance. The red head looked unfazed.

"Actually, you're a bit behind schedule." He frowned, looking at the gate. A sliver of red light escaped from it as the giant door began to slide open. "Remember this, young Leonore; Destiny has chosen you for a reason. You have a path to follow and, if you should stray from this path, it will be up to me to set you back upon it. I am the destroyer of worlds and the keeper of Fate. You may call me Akane."

"Wait!" Kim wailed, the vibrations from the Gate causing her to stumble and fall on her butt. "I don't know what you're talking about! I want to go home!"

Akane offered her a pitying look, "Home, as you know it, is something that will be out of reach for you. Adapt to things and you'll learn to deal with it."

Kim offered him a look of horror, even as the ground was falling out from beneath her. "What's that supposed to mean! AGH! HELP!" she managed to shriek.

The ground opened up beneath her in a giant black hole and swallowed her small form – at least, she was small compared to it – before dropping her into a downwards spiral where she felt the stinging of air against her unprotected skin, where she heard the roar of the wind in her ears, where all she saw was _blue blue blue_. Her arms flailed around her in search of something to stop her rapid descent. She screamed as her eyes found the ground in all the blue. Unfortunately it was rushing towards her at an alarming pace and Kim _knew_ her landing wouldn't be a pleasant one.

Kim hit something solid and felt a startling wave of pain shoot up her spine. A groan escaped her lips and she clenched her fingers in pain. Yes, her landing wasn't pleasant _at all_.

The pain in her spine flooded her system, making her light headed. Sound amplified to an unbearable level and she pressed her somewhat numb hands to her ears in an attempt to block it all out. Even after her hands were firmly over her ears, a buzzing noise invaded her brain – a leftover effect from all the wind rushing in her ears. The smell of fresh air and coppery blood filled her nose, making her flinch back into the cloak around her and she moaned wearily. A dull throb in her hands told her that they were probably the source of the blood, having scraped against the ground when she hit it. Either that or she cracked her head open. That would explain the buzz in her brain if it wasn't because of the wind.

_Okay,_ Kim thought dazedly, _there has to be some explanation for what just happened. I'm dead. Yeah, that sounds good. That red head –_ Akane, her mind supplied helpfully – _killed me in the alley and this is me imagining the afterlife. This sucks. I want to go home._

After waiting a few moments for the pain to subside to a bearable level, Kim pushed herself up with a strained grunt and simply stared around.

"Where the hell am I?" she asked, the question falling from her lips.

"In a Marine base." A deep voice grunted, making Kim stiffen in recognition of it before she slowly turned to gape at the speaker.

Roronoa Zoro glared back at her from the post he was tied to.

_Oh God,_ she thought in horror. _My afterlife looks like the One Piece world._


	2. Break In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kim becomes a thief and the Marine base is the perfect target for her to aim at.

"You smell..." Kim said absently, stunned by the swordsman's presence.

He bristled at her comment and she could almost feel the killing intent rolling off of him. "I've been tied up here for a month! What do you expect me to smell like? Roses?"

Kim gave him a very serious look, her amber eyes meeting his silvery gray ones without hesitation, "I very seriously doubt that you would smell like roses even if you hadn't been tied to a post for a month." she replied scathingly, pushing herself to her feet and glaring right back at him, her bloodied hands on her hips. She was careful about how she allowed the cloak to move, seeing as she was naked beneath it. She didn't feel like giving Zoro an eyeful. That might kill both of them. "And who the hell gets themselves tied to a post for a month?! What did you even do?"

Of course, Kim knew what he'd done to get himself imprisoned, having read the manga and watched the anime, but she was irritated and acting like a know-it-all was likely to get her sliced up into tiny pieces. She rather liked being in one piece.

"Why does everyone in this town think I'm an idiot?" Zoro growled, raising his glare to the sky for a moment then turned his eyes back onto the brunette before him. Where the hell had she come from anyways? "I saved a little girl and got thrown in here for it. At the end of the month, the jerk that put me in here will let me go and he won't hurt the girl or her mom. That was the deal."

Kim offered him an unimpressed look.

"Sweetie, did it ever cross your, tiny mind that the guy lied? Now that he's got you all tied up and weak from starvation as I see it, he could kill you at anytime and you'd be powerless to stop him!"

"..." Zoro was stunned into silence.

"Yep, didn't think so." Kim sighed, limping over to the gate and wincing every time pain shot up her spine. Her right ankle throbbed whenever she put pressure on it, so it might have been sprained or just sore from the fall. She thought it might be the latter since the pain began to dissipate after a few moments.

It would be better for her to get out of here while she had the chance. While Kim may have half convinced herself that she was dead, she didn't want to test out the theory by getting caught by the Marines. Wasn't anyone who snuck into the base to help Zoro supposed to be killed? Well, she wasn't actually there to help or save Zoro, unless talking to him counted as 'saved from dying of boredom'.

"Hey," the green haired man grumbled from behind her and Kim paused to look back at him, a few strands of her dark brown hair being tugged around by the gentle breeze. The shouts of laughter and general chatter from the city beyond the base's walls floated over them and nearly drowned out Zoro's next words, "Were you serious when you said that?"

"What do you think?" Kim asked in return raising an eyebrow.

"Shit," she heard him mutter as she quietly exited the base, eyes peeled and ears straining for any sign of a guard patrol.

The brunette made it out of the compound with ease, slipping into a nearby alley where she wouldn't be seen. Unlike the alleys in her world, this one was relatively well-kept with the exception of a few smashed bottles near the trashcans. Kim took great care not to step on them and damage her bare feet.

Bare feet...

"I need some clothes," she grumbled, picking at the cloak she wore. "But first I need some money to buy them with. So, how can I get some money?"

There was always the option of getting a job, but Kim would rather have the money immediately rather than at the end of the week or the month when the paycheck came in. There was no way she'd get a job with only a cloak on her back. Her other option would be to steal the money. Kim wasn't too fond of the idea, but it was probably her best choice.

Now, Kim just had to decide who to steal from. People on the street were out of the question. Her conscience wouldn't allow the young woman to steal from innocent people who might have families that needed them. Granted, she needed the money too, but she'd feel bad anyways. Kim didn't suppose that there were any pirates around for her to steal from, but there were plenty of corrupt Marines around.

Marines like Morgan... that had a son with a flare for dressing in nice cloths and seemed to have lots of jewelry.

An absolutely evil grin spread across Kim's face as she looked back at the base, her eyes fixated on a window overlooking the courtyard where Zoro was, a window that belonged to Helmeppo's room – at least, she thought it was his room. Didn't Luffy burst out of a window overlooking the courtyard? Whatever. Even if it wasn't his room, it was still bound to have something in it. Something that Kim could sell.

"Say bye-bye to your things, Blondie~!" she sang quietly before glancing around to make sure no one heard her.

* * *

The security here sucks," Kim commented a she had been wandering around the halls for quite some time now, simply getting a feel for the first floor, and had come across no one in this time. "I wonder where everyone is."

Her break-in through a first floor window – seriously, someone needed to think about locking those things – seemed unnecessary now that she was in the base.

The young woman had long since given up on her stealth attempts. After passing through five hallways undetected, she figured that there wasn't any reason for her to worry.

A burst of laughter from one of the rooms proved her wrong. Kim cringed into the wall, clutching the cloak a bit tighter around her chest. It wouldn't be a good idea to be caught alone (and naked!) in the Marine base. That could have some devastating effects.

If there really were people in the base, she would have to be more careful. Kim wasn't practiced in any martial arts and didn't have a weapon to defend herself with. She supposed that she could throw her cloak at them and stun the Marines with her nudity, but she'd rather it not come down to that. She would, under extreme embarrassment, be forced to murder everyone in sight. Honestly, the only thing keeping her safe at the moment was the Marines' ignorance and lack of decent security.

The brunette shook her head to clear her thoughts and pressed her ear against a door farther down the hall and away from the room she knew for certain was occupied, and listened for any sound of activity. Once the woman was satisfied that the room was empty, she opened the door and slipped in.

It was obviously a dorm or barracks of some sort, with a heavy looking dresser pushed up against the wall opposite the door. Just above it was a wide window framed by off-white curtains. Kim made a mental not to avoid it on the off chance that someone spotted her from outside.

She ignored the bunk beds against the other two walls and ducked down out of the window's range. Kim quickly rifled through the drawers, flinching at the sight of men's underwear and grinning when she found a roll of thick bandages. She set it to the side and pulled out a pair of faded jeans and a black T-shirt. She didn't know what kind of person wore them, but they were slight enough for a woman to fit into their clothes, and they smelled clean.

The brunette hurriedly yanked the curtain closed and crossed the room to lock the door. The woman swiftly pulled the cloak off and set to work, wrapping the bandages around her chest as a makeshift bra. Once her 'girls' were secured Kim ripped the excess bandages off and pulled on the jeans and T-shirt.

The shirt fit well enough, loose around her stomach and snug around her wrapped bust. However, the jeans were another story. They were too wide at the hips and too short for her legs. At least my legs are shaved, she thought, rolling the pant sleeves up to her knees. She ripped off another portion of the bandages and tied them around the jeans like a sash. They still hung low on her hips, but it was better than sagging.

She made a face at herself in the mirror on the back of the door and pulled the cloak back on. Kim stuffed the rest of the bandages into her pocket. She still needed to find some shoes...

"Man, Morgan-taicho is one tough bastard."

"You can say that again!"

Kim froze as voices rang out through the hall . . . and the doorknob rattled. "Shit!" she hissed quietly, looking around with a panic.

Where could she hide?

A few minutes later, the door swung open and light from the hallway filtered in, illuminating the dark room.

"Hey, is it just me or is something off about this room?" one of its occupants muttered, scratching his cheek and squinting in confusion

His companion rolled his eyes, "Yeah, someone left the window open again! Probably that Dacio kid." He shut the window and it clicked firmly as it locked.

"We'll have to break him of that." The first man grumbled, running a hand through his hair and collapsing on his bunk.

Kim let out a shaky breath and crawled out of the bush beneath the window. "That was too close," she grumbled, climbing to her feet and dusting off her newly acquired jeans. Jeans that made a clinking sound when she moved.

The new sound coming from a money pouch there had been on the dresser, just behind the curtains.

Kim grinned happily and decided to continue her venture to Helmeppo's room, her cloak swishing around her ankles.


	3. Connection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kim realizes Zoro is being tortured and is promptly horrified by it.

"Oh, this is just perfect~!" Kim purred, a Cheshire grin spreading across her face.

It had taken her over a half-an-hour to get back into the base undetected after escaping from the Marine barracks. It took her twenty more minutes to get to Helmeppo's room. She could have just climbed in through the window, but it would make her break-in painfully obvious. Who was going to ignore someone climbing up the walls of the Marine base?

She headed for the bed first where Kim stripped two pillowcases from their pillows and used them to hold all the jewelry she filched from his armoire. All the necklaces and bracelets were sure to catch a good price, and she definitely wasn't keeping the earrings unless she cleaned them first, but the rings...

"Oooh, I'm so keeping these." She hummed, slipping the silver and emerald ring onto her right ring finger. "Perfect fit too... Helmeppo must have some girlie hands." HAH!

Once Kim was done raiding the armoire, she headed to the dresser, going through it and finding nothing of importance to her. Her lower lip poked out in a pout until she located a bottle with some sort of liquid in it.

 _Perfume? Pfft... and I thought my brother was girlie._ The woman thought as Kim put the perfume back and shut the armoire's doors. She wasn't going to take any of Helmeppo's clothes. Their sense of fashion just didn't agree, but she could look through his shoes and socks.

"Please don't let him have some sort of foot fungus," Kim muttered, opening the closet door and dropping to her knees, the pillow case tied to her waist by more bandages (they were surprisingly strong, probably made of something cloth like rather than gauze). She kept all of her shoes in the bottom of her closet, so she took a chance and said that Helmeppo did the same, which turned out to be true.

"No, no, no, _hell no_... Maybe." Kim said as she pulled out a pair of shoes that looked like slip-ons.

She squinted at them curiously, trying to decide if they were some sort of house shoes or something else. They looked like the Villager shoes her elderly neighbor always gave her. Mrs. Reynolds was nice enough, but Kim never wore the shoes she gave her. Now it didn't look like she had any choice but to wear the shoes she found in Helmeppo's closet.

She took out a pair of Helmeppo's socks and slid them on along with the shoes, which were surprisingly comfortable.

 _Maybe I should try on those shoes Mrs. R gave me when I get back home_ , she thought, wiggling her toes in the shoes. Kim paused and frowned.

Speaking of which, how was she even going to get home? Didn't Akane say that home was out of reach? How the hell was she supposed to deal with something like that! It didn't make any sense.

"There is a way back." The young woman said firmly, glaring at the carpet. Kim had no idea if the words were true or not, but she'd be damned before she gave up so easily. "There's got to be someone in this world who knows about interdimensional travel. Or at least a necromancer I can talk to. If I really am dead, I'll just have to raise myself from the grave."

With that in mind, Kim shut the closet firmly and crept back into the hall, relieved when the jewelry's clinking was muffled by the pillow cases.

She made it down to the first floor without interruption but swore when a couple of Marines rounded the corner. A sense of panic flooded her system and Kim's golden eyes darted about the hallway, looking for a quick escape route.

_Next time I decide to break in somewhere and become a thief, I need to set up an escape route!_

* * *

"Dammit," Zoro grumbled, tugging at his bonds. The swordsman huffed and tipped his head onto his chest, brows furrowed in thought.

Was the girl lying? Or had she told him the truth? Helmeppo was going to kill him. But what about their agreement? Did that blond brat have no honor? Zoro decided then and there that he disliked blond men. Assholes. . .

"Oh, you're still here are you?" a teasing voice drawled. Zoro scowled in Kim's direction. She looked different from the last time he saw her, dressed in clothes that obviously weren't hers. He eyed the pillow case in her hand with curiosity. The teenager looked a little frazzled too and was clinging to a half broken mop, and the moment she saw him staring at it, she dropped it with an awkward look.

"Obviously," Zoro snapped, glaring at her with such intensity she could have burst into flames. Sadly, the brunette remained flameless, much to Zoro's disappointment. For some reason, his instincts screamed _danger(!)_ when she was in his presence. Like she was dangerous. Or had something dangerous following her. He didn't like it and wanted her to just leave.

"Well if you're going to be like that..." Kim trailed off with a roll of her eyes. She turned and headed for the main gate.

"Brat," Zoro muttered.

"Asshole," she shot back, not even turning around but her lips tugged up into a smile. Kim could make comebacks to Zoro the same way she did with her oldest brother, Kaine. A twitch ran through Kim. She really needed to stop thinking about her brothers. It made her feel awful, knowing that she might not be seeing them for a very long time.

 _Just grin and bear it sweetie,_ she thought, baring her teeth in a grimace. _And stop thinking about it!_

Kim attempted to walk out of the compound, but it seemed as if her luck ran out when she ran into the Marines in the hallway. She had barely gotten away from there by beating them unconscious with a mop. Helmeppo was approaching the compound with two Marine lackeys. The inside of the courtyard was pretty much hidden from the street by the large wall and, apparently, it was difficult to see things on the inside from the street (Kim thought it was since no one had noticed her yet) and the courtyard only had two exits (from what Kim could tell). Helmeppo and his men were coming in through one of them and Kim's other option was to leave through the barracks building. There was no way she'd get out of the courtyard without being seen!

Unless...

Kim looked at the wall with a calculating gaze, maybe she could climb over it. With that thought in mind, Kim made a running jump at the wall, just barely getting a grip on the top of the wall. She flailed for a moment and dropped back to the ground, landing hard on her ass.

"Ow," she whined, rubbing her butt as Kim stood back up.

"Hahaha" Zoro laughed at her, shoulders shaking with mirth.

Kim felt her face heat up and she glared at him. "SHUT UP!" she snapped, feeling incredibly embarrassed. She took several steps back and fixed her gaze on the wall again. Kim let out a quiet war cry and charged the cement and brick obstacle once more.

"Got it!" She grinned triumphantly as her fingers latched securely on the top of the wall. Kim pulled herself up with some difficulty, feet scrabbling against the wall for a foot hold. When she finally had her rump planted on the top of the wall, did the young woman turn around and stuck her tongue out at Zoro, legs draped over the sides and body bent parallel with the wall so that she was straddling it (if a bit awkwardly. She would sit up straight, but then Kim could easily be seen.).

"Yeah, yeah." He said, raising an eyebrow. "So you can climb a wall. Big deal."

"I'd like to see you do it!" she scoffed, crossing her arms.

"I'd love to. How about you come back here and untie me so I can show you?"

"As if. Maybe tomorrow if you're still here and haven't starved to death." Kim returned, smiling as she pulled herself over the wall.

"I look forward to it." She heard Zoro call as she was walking away.

Kim laughed and turned slightly to give the wall a grin, knowing that Zoro was probably doing the same on the other side. However, Kim's grin slid right off her face as a sickening 'thump' rang through the air, accompanied by a grunt that was unmistakably Zoro's.

Helmeppo, she realized, was beating him while he was defenseless.

The brunette worried her lower lip between her teeth, feeling torn. She wanted so badly to stop the spoiled blond, her conscience begging her to help the defenseless swordsman, her brain telling her to walk away. Who knew what would happen if she interfered with canon events.

Kim stood in the darkening street for a long time, listening to the thumps and thuds with a heavy heart. She stayed there even after they stopped, her cloak keeping her warm in the chilly night air.

With some hesitance, she walked over to the gate and peeked in at Zoro. He was bloody (well, bloodier than before), his newest wounds causing blood to dribble down his face.

"Hey," she whispered anxiously, her words easily carrying over to Zoro since the base was rather quiet. Kim looked at him with wide eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Go away." he said lowly as his voice was hoarse.

"...do you need help?" she asked, fighting an internal battle with herself. Dammit, she shouldn't have talked to him. Now she had a small connection with him and her morals wouldn't allow her to walk away so easily.

"I said, go away. I'm fine." he growled, wincing as he shifted against the ropes.

"I'll be back." she promised and Kim gave him once last look before she ran off into the night, cloak billowing out behind her.

Zoro sighed, sagging against the post he was tied to. He really hated Helmeppo.


	4. Nighttime Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kim feeds Zoro like a dog and she finally gets a nap.

True to her word, Kim returned at dawn the next morning, her eyelids sagging with exhaustion and her pockets full of Beli. The pillow case of jewelry had been sold for quite a price (Kim had gotten a strange look from the guy behind the counter, but she simply smiled innocently) and Kim currently had a new backpack full of clothes and dried fruits. She was ready to head out on the sea, maybe on a ship or something as a stowaway, or as a paid consumer but felt obligated to visit Zoro again before she left.

The courtyard hadn't changed much at all since she left the base earlier, except in lighting. It was rather dark now, but fairly easy to see around. She made her way over to the green haired man, her footsteps carefully placed so that they would make very little noise.

"You still alive?" she muttered, crouching next to Zoro's prone form.

He jerked awake with a grunt, glaring at her sleepily, "You again? What do you want now?" the man grumbled at her.

"So rude," Kim sighed, pulling out a handkerchief and pouring some water from her water bottle on it before rubbing it across his cheek harshly.

"Ouch!" he hissed, glaring at her fiercely. "What the hell was that for?!"

Kim fixed him with a stern look. "You should be nicer to those who're trying to help you. I could leave you now!"

"Just leave." Zoro argued, "I don't need any help. I'll get out of here on my own. You'll just get in trouble if you're caught. Besides, you don't even know me, why the hell would you try to help a stranger?"

"You remind me of someone." Kim said shortly trying to scrub at the blood on his face as Zoro jerked away, reminding her of a small child. "Now stop moving! The faster I get done with this the faster you can eat! Do you want these cuts to get infected?"

Zoro eyed her speculatively. "You brought food?"

"Yep," she replied, digging around her back pack. Kim pulled out a small paper bag and retrieved a couple of rolls from it. They were still fresh, just bought from an early opening bakery down the street from the Marine base. Kim had stopped by there on her way to visit Zoro. The roll's sweet scent drifted up, making Zoro's mouth water with hunger and anticipation.

"Well, if you'd said that when you got here..." he trailed off, pinning the buttery rolls with a ravenous stare. Kim snickered and held one of the rolls up so he could eat it. The swordsman devoured it in less than a minute, reminding Kim of her neighbor's German Sheppard whenever she graced it with a treat. She hurried to give him the rest of the rolls, glancing at the brightening sky with anxiety. They had to hurry before the Marines showed up.

Once Zoro finished with the last roll, he grudgingly looked Kim in the eye, feeling a little embarrassed. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." She told him, standing up and brushing her legs off. She now wore a pair of gray shorts with a line running down their sides and a form fitting shirt in pale orange. It looked good on her. Her sandals were white, showing her repainted toes. The white polish made her feet look tan. Her cloak was tied around her neck by it's sleeves, hanging loosely over her shoulders. "It was nice meeting you. I hope you'll get out of here soon. I'd let you go myself if I wouldn't be interfering with destiny."

"Wait, you're just going to leave like that?" Zoro snapped, irritated that she was just going to walk away and not help him because of some 'destiny' crap. "You can't just go after that!"

"Why not?" Kim asked, putting her hands on her hips, "I haven't done anything wrong, morally if not legally that is. Why can't I just leave?"

"Because you've already done too much to just leave!" The swordsman growled.

"Exactly, I've done too much. If I don't get out of here now I could end up like you. And no one in this world would come to save me. I don't intend on being stopped by the Marines before I reach my goal."

Zoro frowned, but let the issue go. Who was he to stand between someone and their dreams? He'd just have to get out of here some other way. "Fine," he grumbled, not looking at her. Kim felt her spirits drop, seeing him so depressed.

"If I'm still here, I'll come back later today and tomorrow." she said, patting him on the shoulder and being careful not to hit any tender spots caused by Helmeppo, before heading for the exit. After all, what were the chances that she'd find a ship to stow away in on such short notice?

Kim pulled the cloak on correctly with arms through the sleeves and stuffed her hands in her pockets, fingers closing tightly around her wad of Beli. She didn't want to leave him there. Not like that. Yet what choice did she have? Zoro was a member of Luffy's crew, or will be soon. Had it been anyone else, she would have thrown caution to the wind and helped them escape. What kind of person was she to just leave a guy to his death? After telling him about it no less! She shouldn't have talked to him more, helped him more.

However, in her eyes, it was wrong to just leave someone when she could help them. She couldn't help but want to go back and untie him. Her fists clenched. But what if she did? What would happen then? How many lives would it cost if Zoro never joined Luffy's crew? What kind of effect would her actions make on this world? Were lives worth her going back and changing the future just because her heartstrings were being tugged on? The young woman hesitated, looking back at the Marine base. Could she live with herself if people _died_ because of her?

 _No,_ she decided. She wouldn't be able to deal with something like that.

Besides, it wasn't like Zoro was going to die if she didn't do anything, right? Luffy would show up and save him, just like he was supposed to. Then Kim could leave the island and the issue behind. She wouldn't get involved in this, at least, not anymore than she was now.

Kim rubbed her eyes wearily and raked a hand through her hair. Damn she was tired. A hotel sounded nice about now and there was no way she was leaving until Luffy and Coby arrived. There was no other option now.

* * *

"I didn't know such a small city could be so busy," Kim commented to herself as she leaned out the window of her hotel room. In order to conserve as much Beli as possible, she had purposely bought a cheap room in a questionable looking hotel. Fortunately, the sheets were clean and the carpet was just slightly stained. Perfect considering its location in the more rundown part of Shells City, "It's nice here. Too bad the Marine captain is a corrupt bastard." The sounds of city life floated through the open window and the smells of fresh foods waiting to be sold filled her nose and made her mouth water. Kim's lips twisted into a scowl as she saw Helmeppo walking down the street, flanked by his men like some sort of bully walking down the halls at school. Asshole.

She sighed and moved away from the window, stretching as she went. Her hair flew around her face as she flopped ungracefully onto the bed, curling around a pillow and burying her face into it. The young woman had barely gotten two hours sleep before the sounds of this new type city woke her. She wasn't used to them, having lived most of her life just outside the city, away from the hustle and bustle. On the upside, there were no outrageously loud horns blaring outside the window, but there were vendors trying to sell their wares, attempting to outdo each other in terms of loudness.

 _Maybe I can sleep a bit more before going to see Zoro,_ she thought with a yawn.

Kim slept until noon, safely tucked away beneath her warm blankets and happy dreams. At least, until a scream rang out through the village below Kim jerked up with a jolt, amber eyes opened wide and her long hair plastered to her face. She had woken to screams before, though those were mostly angry insults directed at the stove (Kaine was just as hopeless at cooking as she was and he tended to burn himself whenever he touched the stove. However, that didn't stop him from trying to cook breakfast.).

What on earth just happened?

Kim rose sleepily, unable to help herself as she stretched leisurely, and padded over to the window, shoving her hair out of her face and yanking the curtains out of the way. What she saw made her eyes pop wide open, all traces of sleepiness gone.

Monkey D. Luffy had arrived with Coby in tow. Probably startled the people by talking about Zoro and Morgan, she thought, watching the two head for the Marine base.

"Thank God, I can leave now. I'll just go say good-bye to Zoro and be on my way then. Maybe piss off the Marines while I'm down there and get the future pirate King's autograph. Sounds good. First things first though, I need a shower and a change of clothes."


	5. Mugiwara no Luffy (Pirate Hunter Zoro Enters)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kim meets the future pirate king, tries to fly and tries to teach manners to a future admiral (and not necessarily in that order).

There's something startling about meeting one of your favorite heroes in person. The fact that the one you're meeting was from a work of fiction is even stranger.

All Kim could do in the presence of Luffy was stare at his blue-jean covered butt as he half dangles over the wall around the courtyard. At least the view isn't bad. Luffy's attractive in a sort of boyish way. Kim took a moment to examine him.

He was tan, tanner than he seemed in the anime or the colored manga pages. It seemed fitting for him; Luffy didn't seem the type to be afraid of a little sunburn. The jean and red vest clad boy was staring intently at something- Zoro, she guessed- on the other side of the wall, his lips pulled back into a blinding white grin (toothpaste lover some?) and his eyes were wide and chocolate brown.

Kim decided that if she had met someone like Luffy back home, she would have been flirting with him in an instant. It was easy to see why so many women fell for him. Kim was all for Team Hancock, but if she could have a chance at the future Pirate King... She shook off that train of thought and clambered up onto the wall beside him.

"Hi there!" she chirped, enjoying the reaction Coby produced as he gave a girlish scream and nearly tumbled off the wall. Kim managed to grab him and dragged him back onto the wall with a little difficulty. The kid was heavy.

"Hi!" Luffy greeted, turning his grin on her. Suddenly, the tan boy frowned, giving her a suspicious look. "You're not here to get Zoro to join your crew are you? Because I've already decided that he's going to be on my crew."

Kim waved him off, giving him an easy smile, "No, help yourself. I just came to tell him good-bye."

"Oh, good!" Luffy said, relaxing and the grin returned to his face. "So, you know Zoro? Is he a good guy? He looks cool!"

"I met him yesterday." Kim said, smirking slightly as the swordsman made a face at her. His head was tipped to where it was difficult to read his expression, but Kim had a perfect view. She knew that he could hear them over the distance. They weren't exactly being quiet with their conversation. The brunette bit back a snicker and looked at Luffy again. "He smells bad and has awful manners. But he seems alright."

"Great! See, Coby! He's a good guy."

Coby offered him a panicked look, "Luffy! This guy is known for being a merciless monster! And you don't know her! How can you trust a stranger's word?"

Feeling a little insulted, Kim rolled her eyes at him, _Do I look that untrustworthy?_

"Hi Luffy-san, my name is Leonore Kimiya. I'm seventeen and have absolutely no clue what I'm going to do with my life; like every other teenager back home. Nice to meet you!"

The dark haired boy grinned and snickered as he replied in kind, "I'm Monkey D. Luffy. I'm seventeen too and going to be King of the Pirates! It's nice to meet you too!" he smiled sweetly at Kim.

"See, now he knows me and I know him." Kim said turning to Coby, who looked back at her nervously. "However, I don't know you."

"I'm Coby." he murmured, looking terribly frightened. "I want to be a Marine."

"Well, you certainly don't have the manners for it. I haven't even been here for five minutes and you've already insulted me."

"I'm sorry," Coby said, bowing his head. Kim just sighed and jumped over the wall.

"You again?" Zoro grunted when the woman came over to him. "You're a nuisance. Go away!"

"Meanie!" Kim accused, pouting at the moss haired swordsman.

He ignored her in favor of turning to the boys on the wall, "Hey you!" he called, grinning evilly as Coby gave a little 'eep!', nearly falling off the wall again. Kim frowned, not liking Zoro's expression at all. "Could you please come over here and untie me? I've been tied up here for a month and I'm exhausted."

"Look! He's smiling." Luffy commented, squinting at Zoro. Coby whimpered something that Kim couldn't make out and hid behind the wall.

"I'll repay you." Zoro continued. "I'll hunt down a fugitive and give you the rewards. I'm a man of my word, I promise."

"Why should they trust a man they don't know? Let alone one who's tied up?" Kim asked him softly, raking her eyes over the swordsman's face, there was fresh blood on it. Helmeppo had been by between then and dawn.

Kim vowed to give that boy a solid punch to the face before she left town. So what if she got a bounty on her head? She liked Zoro, dammit!

"You should get out of here, Leonore." Zoro told her gruffly, glaring at her from beneath the shadow his bandanna cast over his eyes. "You've done your part and you can't help me any more. I'll get out of here so quit worrying. You barely even know me."

"You said you're a man of your word, right? Which means you weren't lying when you told me about saving a little girl. That alone tells me enough. It tells me that you're a good man who's being chained down by some corrupt little bastard. And if anything makes me angry, it's seeing someone being taken advantage of. You're a hero, Zoro-san, in my eyes and probably that little girl's eyes. I can't walk away from something like this without taking action!" she snapped at him, golden eyes flashing irritably.

Luffy gave Kim an appreciative look. "Zoro can't kill me," he told Coby firmly at the same time. "I'm strong."

Coby looked devastated and Kim glanced at the future pirate king with a smirk. _Confident, isn't he,_ she thought.

 _Gata~!_ The sound of wood hitting stone caught everyone's attention.

All four teens turned to watch a little girl pop up over the wall. _Well, she's certainly smart,_ Kim thought. A bead of sweat ran down her temple. _She brought a ladder._ The little girl shushed Luffy and Coby and looked down at the ground below with trepidation. Kim decided to be nice and held her arms up.

"Come on, sweetie. I'll catch you!" she told her, smiling kindly. The little girl offered her a smile and slid off the wall into the older teen's arms.

"Thanks, Nee-chan!" she squeaked. Kim refrained from cuddling her and instead followed her over to Zoro.

"What are you doing?!" Coby cried, his shouts falling on deaf ears. "It's dangerous!"

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Zoro asked, looking the little girl over with a frown.

"Luffy! Go stop them, they'll be killed!" Coby begged, shooting the girls an anxious look.

"You go do it," Luffy said, rolling his eyes. Kim bit back a snicker. _Luffy could be a real jerk sometimes, especially to cowards,_ she thought.

"Do you two want to die or something? Go home already!" the swordsman snapped at the two girls, giving the gate a nervous look. Kim recognized it, having seen it on Kaine's face whenever he was trying to mask anxiety with irritation. Kim looked to the gate as well and swore under her breath while her hands twitched and she gave the girl a nervous look.

Kim couldn't stay there, she'd be killed! Morgan killed anyone who defied him and he'd surely hear about her from Helmeppo. Kim wasn't a small child like- isn't her name Rika? - and Kim would face an execution if she was caught in the courtyard, but what kind of person would the young woman be if she left a child in the wolves' den?

 _A bad one,_ Kim thought miserably, setting her jaw. She sighed and turned back to the conversation at hand.

Rika held two rice balls up to Zoro. "I made these for you, Nii-sama! You haven't eaten in a long time, right? This is my first time making them but-"

Zoro cut her off and Kim saw that Helmeppo and his men weren't very far from the gate now. The swordsman seemed to notice them as well. "I'm not hungry! Go away kid! You too Leonore!"

"Oh, shut up Moss-Head and just eat the damn food!" the brunette grumbled, disliking that he was ordering her around like her brother would. She took one of the rice balls from Rika and shoved it in his mouth, forcing him to eat it and Kim could hear Luffy laugh at that from behind them.

"I said I wasn't hungry!" Zoro bellowed as he swallowed the overly sweet rice ball, glaring at her.

Kim planted her hands on her hips and shouted back. "Just shut up you complainer! You didn't say that this morning or last night!" Zoro jerked back in surprise and, to Kim's utter amusement, a blush blossomed over his cheeks. _He must have taken that as an innuendo,_ Kim mentally snickered.

"Roronoa Zoro!" a new voice shouted. Kim jerked in surprise and turned to look at the gate. Helmeppo had entered. "You shouldn't pick on little kids and pretty women, or else I'll have to tell my father." Kim shuddered at the compliment, feeling a little dirty at that. Ewwww! Helmeppo had just checked her out! Ew!

"Tch, if it isn't the bastard son of the Lieutenant..." Zoro growled, glaring at the blond. He wore a dark suit, which reminded Kim somewhat of Sanji's.

 _Ah, no wonder he doesn't like Sanji,_ Kim thought wide-eyed at her revelation. _He treats the ladies too delicately for Zoro's tastes and reminds him of Helmeppo. And Sanji did tell him to give up his dream and live. . . Though, that animosity can only go so far. It's probably just testosterone fueled rivalry. Tch, men..._

"Bastard?" Helmeppo snapped. "My dad's a respectable Lieutenant! He'll have your head if he hears about this!"

 _Why am I reminded of Draco Malfoy?_ Kim wondered watching this exchange with a bemused expression _. 'My father this...' and 'my father that...' Sheesh, bratty blonds. At least Sanji is a gentleman, if only to women._

Zoro simply glared at the Marine Captain's son, his light gray eyes sending shivers down the blond's spine. Helmeppo huffed and used the two girls in the courtyard as an excuse to turn away from the swordsman's icy stare.

"Here we go," Kim scoffed under her breath, trying not to scowl at Helmeppo.

"Hello there little girl," he said. Kim twitched and put her hands on Rika's shoulders, pulling her back slightly. Helmeppo didn't seem to notice and leaned down to swipe the last rice ball. Kim felt a surge of vindictive pleasure when he choked on the sweetness, but she pulled Rika back even further, now glaring at the blond man. "Blegh! These are horrible! You put sugar in it instead of salt!"

"B-But I thought it would taste better i-if it was sweet," the little brunette whimpered, cowering into Kim's side.

"How could anyone eat something like that!?" Helmeppo shouted, causing Rika to flinch. Kim's maternal instincts rose to the surface and she bristled, rising to her full height of 5'8". She thanked her mother for her genetics, grateful that she was tall like her eldest brother, Kaine, instead of short like Ken, her other brother.

"Oi! Didn't you just tell him to stop bullying little kids!? Make an example of yourself and follow your own orders!" she snarled, pushing Rika fully behind her. The little girl clutched at the back of Kim's cloak, the warmth reminding Kim that she was protecting something.

Didn't she tell herself not to get involved? Yet, here she was, telling Helmeppo off for harassing a little kid. Maybe it would be alright, seeing as Rika was merely a side character in the story. Kim didn't think she'd have a big influence on the happenings around here as long as she kept her head down once she got off the island. Though, until then, she was going to give a certain blond jerk a piece of her mind. Because, like everyone raised in the southern US knows, it was just about impossible to keep your mouth shut when you see something that you don't like.

Helmeppo turned on her, eyes flashing. "Who are you!? I'll tell my father about this, you know! You'll be executed!"

"For what?" Kim mocked, her temper making her head cloud up so much it was becoming difficult to think. "Speaking my mind? Where I come from, we have this little thing called 'freedom of speech'. Granted, it's not always true, but I have the right to say what I want to, onion-hair!"

"Onion-hair!?" Helmeppo screeched while his face turned an ugly shade of purple. "Throw these two out of here!"

"Huh!?" the soldiers gaped, blinking at him. Zoro shot Kim a look that said, 'Shut up you absolute moron! Do you want to end up like me, or worse, dead!?' But Kim was seeing too much red to pay him any attention.

"So what, you're just gonna throw me out!? That's real nice . . . onion-hair!"

"Throw them out now!" Helmeppo roared, tugging at his hair in frustration. The two Marines flanking him picked up Rika and grabbed Kim by the arm. "I'm so telling my father about you, girl!"

Kim just snapped her teeth at him, her molars clicking sharply when they missed the blond's nose. Everyone, with the exception of a terrified Rika, gaped at her. Did she seriously just try to bite him!?

"Iyaaaa!" Rika screamed as she was thrown over the wall. Kim flew over after her, her long arms and legs flailing wildly.

"Wahhhhhh!" she yelled, squeezing her eyes shut as the ground raced towards her face.

 _Dosa~!_ Her breath whooshed out of her lungs as she stopped falling.

Kim grunted as she landed on Luffy, Rika safely rolled off to the side so she wouldn't be squished. The black haired boy was soft and pliant beneath her fingers, and Kim had the impression that pulling on his skin would feel like pulling on a rubber band or a ponytail holder. However, he was still strong, somewhat like a tire, and she could feel the muscles rippling beneath his skin as he held onto her. The brown haired teen opened her eyes and found Luffy staring at her with a rather amused expression. Oh, yeah, she would have definitely flirted with him back home. The boy was _cuuuute~!_ With that said, Kim threw that line of thought out of her head for fear of sounding fangirlish. Or like a ho. Whatever came first.

"Are you alright?" Coby asked anxiously, helping Rika stand as the girl nodded miserably. Kim frowned. Helmeppo had no right to yell at her and make her feel so bad.

"Thanks, Luffy-san," Kim sighed, finally climbing off the rubber boy and offering a hand to help him up.

"You're welcome," he grinned readjusting Boshi-san, his trademark hat. The grin melted off his face for some reason Kim couldn't understand and the brunette watched him for a moment longer before turning to Rika.

"Hey, sweetie." Kim smiled, ruffling her hair slightly. "You okay? No bumps or bruises?"

"I'm fine, Nee-chan. Coby-san took care of me." Rika said shyly, looking up at Kim with wide eyes. The older girl smiled at her fondly, letting her hand slide off her head.

"Well, that's good. Maybe you should stick with him for now." Kim hummed, walking off a bit. "I might see you guys later, but if I don't, _goodbye~!_ "

"Bai bai, Nee-chan!" Rika called waving after her.

Kim raised her hand in farewell, the breeze swirling her cloak around her ankles. _A pretty awesome exit if I do say so myself~!_ She thought, grinning. _Now, if only I can keep up this I'm-so-cool-watch-in-awe-when-I-walk persona. I doubt it though._

Kim wandered around town for a bit longer, examining the docks for a decent ship to either stow away or catch a short ride on.

Unfortunately, most of the ships seemed to be either small fishing vessels or they belonged to the Marines. The ones with all the nets and stuff were more than likely the fishing boats, but maybe she could have one drop her off in the middle of the ocean with a rowboat and she could make her way from there?

She huffed as she looked over the boats for a decent vessel with nice looking people. A burst of laughter from one caught her attention.

The ship was rather small in size and weather-beaten, but it looked study and the people seemed nice enough. _Kame no Kage_ was painted on the side of it in big white letters, so Kim guessed the name had something to do with turtle shadows or shadow turtles... Odd name, but it seemed nice enough.

"Um, excuse me, but may I please speak with the captain?" Kim called hesitantly, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth and the men on deck and on the dock quieted down to stare at her. One of the men sighed at his companions and smiled kindly at her. Kim liked him immediately. He was old and worn, like the Kame no Kage, and gave her the impression of a kindly grandfather, which he probably was.

"The captain's not on board at the moment, darlin'. You can find him in town though. He's not hard to miss. He looks like a turtle." The man chuckled.

Kim smiled, "Like the ship's name?"

"You got it," the man chuckled, his companions laughing as well. "If you hurry, you might be able to catch him at the restaurant in town."

"Thank you very much, sir!" Kim said, bowing politely. This felt quite strange to her, but she dealt with it. Usually she'd just smile with her thanks, but she got the impression that she'd look rude leaving out a bow. Then again, she was basically just copying Ace's mannerisms, so she didn't know if she was doing this right or what.

The man waved her off with a kind smile. "You're very welcome, young lady."

Kim waved at them as she headed back into town. She had a ride out of here!


	6. Change of Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kim attempts to run away, can't, and therefore bitches about life before getting attacked. The End (not really).

"Kimiya Leonore, are you planning on leaving this city?"

"Oh my God!" Kim shrieked, jumping in surprise. A violent twitch ran down her body. She turned to glare up at Akane, her pulse racing wildly. "Don't fucking do that!"

The red head offered her an amused expression. "You should be more aware of your surroundings, child." He murmured, making Kim wince at the painful effect his voice had on her ears. His green eyes sparkled with mirth. Akane looked the same as he did before he gave Kim his cloak, except his new cloak had a startling red bird on the sleeve, trailing upwards in a flame-like pattern.

"Well you don't fucking sneak up on me like that!" Kim snapped, feeling a lot less polite than she normally would. After all, this was the guy that screwed her life up, and killed her, so Kim didn't think she could be nice to him even if she wanted to. "And of course I'm leaving! I need to learn about wormholes so I can get home."

"An intriguing endeavor, youngling." Akane conceded. "Einstein-Rosen Bridges are extremely fascinating. However, you know the theory and the formula, but you have no means to power a wormhole or create one for your convenience. It would take copious amounts of negative energy to power one and hold it open long enough for you to pass through."

Kim smirked. "That's why I'll be looking for Blackbeard when I head out. He wields the Yami Yami no Mi, right? It's the black hole of Devil Fruits which ties in directly with what I need. All I need is the energy to get back home. I'll think of something to offer him in return so long as it doesn't help him overcome Luffy and the others. Lord knows I hate the bastard for doing what he did to Ace, but my life comes before anything else in my mind. I'll do what I have to if it will help me survive." Throughout her speech Kim's eyes had darkened to a nearly golden brown shade and her voice dropped into an emotionless deadpan, making it nearly impossible for Akane to tell what she was thinking.

It was curious, he admitted to himself, to hold a conversation with this girl who was the very personification of a conundrum to him. One that might forever hold his interest if she kept up this way of thinking as Kim just explained. However, while he would have encouraged this train of thought and the way she was moving, certain _other forces_ wouldn't be too pleased with him. They would only order her execution, and that didn't make him a very happy camper.

It was ridiculous to dispose of someone because they wanted to go home after forcibly being removed from everything they've ever known. Or because of who their father was. Akane made a mental note to interfere during the Marineford War. He liked the Portgas kid.

"Are you listening to me!?" Kim shouted, her face red with anger.

Akane offered her a blank look, "Not really. I heard you while you were talking about Blackbeard. I just stopped listening after that." Kim looked like she wanted to smack him. Akane made a wise decision and took two steps back. "Kimiya Leonore, I cannot allow you to leave this island until further notice. If you would only understand that you are the one I am looking out for, as you would say in your world. The path Destiny has chosen you for is a difficult and dangerous one. The most I can do is to aid you in protecting yourself against the path's trials. I will start by telling you do not leave this island yet."

Kim frowned at him with her golden eyes sparking; Akane simply found it an endearing trait.

"What are you going to do if I say no?" she demanded, crossing her arms.

Akane watched her lazily, the smell of the sea breeze infiltrating his nose. It really was a nice place here. Perhaps if the circumstances were different, he could give up his position with the _other forces_ and buy a house on the beach...

"I apologize," he murmured, blinking at an irate looking Kim. "My mind wandered away again. It's becoming an unbecoming trait of mine. To answer your question, I will simply hold you here until you can leave. You only have a small amount of time, so kindly deal with it until then."

"Hell no," Kim said flatly, her face blank. She turned with a swish of her cloak, the same one he gave her yesterday, and her long hair swirling around her face.

Akane sighed quietly and flexed his fingers, in less than a half of a second, he was beside her retreating form. During the rest of that second she was up on his shoulder in a fireman's hold, breathless with shock and confusion. Akane smirked with amusement and took off towards the Marine base. They made it to the base in less than a minute, Akane the picture of perfection while Kim's hair was a crazy mess of tangles from the wind whipping her hair around. The red haired man had moved with a speed that made him almost invisible. Kim didn't know _how_ he managed to keep his hair in place with all that air blowing through it, but she was insanely ealous of his secret.

"Running is still as enjoyable as ever. It is a rush, don't you agree, Kimiya Leonore?" The red head hummed, setting the seething brunette on her feet just outside the gate, "Now, go rescue the abused swordsman and help the pink haired boy. That'll secure you a place on Mugiwara's crew and _then_ you can leave the island. If not, we'll try again when they meet Buggy. But I'm sure he'll accept you if you just ask. However, I'm sure your pride won't allow it, so do something heroic, will you?"

Just like that, Akane was gone in a movement so fast, Kim couldn't even see him leave.

"I so HATE YOU!" she screeched, face an ugly shade of magenta. A small group of birds took flight, startled by her angry shouting, and several passing villagers picked up their pace as they went by her, thinking that she was crazy.

Kim took a moment to just breathe and calm herself down so she wouldn't maul the next person she saw. Luffy wouldn't take kindly to her messing up his swordsman. She was still angry when she entered the courtyard, but her rage had simmered down enough for her to gain control over it.

"Yo, Zoro-san!" she called smirking at the green haired man while he simply scowled back.

Could she handle being this guy's crewmate? Possibly. She just needed to keep her sarcastic comments and wise ass quips to herself. Oh God this was going to be difficult. Maybe she could hold out until Sanji joined. At least she would have a protector then, a cute one at that. Yes, until Sanji arrived. How long did Akane say she had to be a part of Luffy's crew?

Oh right, the asshole didn't say anything about that. Jerk. Even if she wanted to leave the crew– taking in the possibility that she actually made it into Luffy's good graces, which she had done quite well earlier when they met– there was no way Luffy would allow it, because he's like that with all his nakama. So Kim was stuck here for a while, but she had to get back home!

Arrrgh- dammit! Kim wanted to stop thinking about it, for now, she would just concentrate on helping Zoro like Akane asked (ordered). The young woman really didn't fancy being carted around like a sack of potatoes again. It was unpleasant.

"Leonore, go away!" Zoro snapped, interrupting Kim's internal thoughts as he did so.

"Sorry, Zo-chan, not allowed to~!" the brunette sang, skipping over to him and leaned over his slumped form, invading his personal bubble with her face. It was a technique she used on her eldest brother when she wanted to annoy him.

The swordsman grunted in surprise as their noses bumped together and pulled his head back so that he could glare at her without going cross-eyed. "What the hell are you doing!?" he grumbled.

"Helping you escape!" Kim declared, tugging at the ropes around his abdomen. She frowned when they didn't give way and bent over again to get a better look at the knots.

"Zoro-san!" a familiar voice that called out, Kim glanced up at Coby briefly before turning back to the ropes. They were going down! "Where's Luffy-san!?" The younger boy asked coming up to the other two.

"He went into the base." Zoro grunted, eyeing Kim warily when she pulled out a switchblade and began sawing at the coarse ropes around the swordsman's waist. "Where did you get that?"

"Pawnshop," she answered, scowling at his resistant bonds. "They have just about everything there."

"Luffy's in the base!?" Coby exclaimed in disbelief, nearly drowning out Kim's answer. However, he got over his shock quickly, something Kim silently praised him for as questions weren't important at the moment. "He's too hot headed."

"You can say that again," Zoro scoffed, glaring at Coby when he started working on untying the ropes around Zoro's arm. "Oi! They'll kill you two if you help me! Just go away!"

"Shut up!" Kim ordered, glaring right back at him. She growled when the ropes refused to break and was tempted to stab something to release her building frustration.

"I can't stand those kinds of Marines," Coby muttered to himself, frowning in anger. "I'm going to be a real Marine. A respectable one!"

"Good for you!" Kim applauded, standing and reaching over to help Coby with the ropes. "I take it you'll be the one leading the chase on Luffy-san?"

The pinkette grinned at her bashfully, "It'll be fun to catch the Pirate King, right?" he asked.

Zoro stiffened with surprise, "What!?" he gawked. "P-pirate king!? That's what he's trying to be?"

"Heheh, I was a bit shocked when I heard him the first time, but he's really serious about this-!"

_Pon~!_

Kim shrieked in pain as a bullet lodged itself in her arm, causing her to drop her switchblade. Her knees buckled in shock and the girl hit the ground with a _thump~!_

"Shiiiiit!" she wailed, clutching at her now bloody forearm.

"Kim-san!" Coby gasped kneeling beside her while Zoro turned his head to glare at the top of the Marine base. Morgan glared back down at the three with hatred.


	7. Right Hook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morgan gets punched and Luffy's a conartist. Surprise!

"That bastard shot me!" Kim gaped in shock, eyes glued to her gushing arm.

"Ah! You're bleeding!" Coby shouted, his eyes popping. Kim gritted her teeth and slapped the side of his head with her bloody hand.

"Pinkie! Hush and get to work on those ropes! Use my knife." She ordered, feeling rather light headed.

"H-hai," Coby stammered, picking up the now bloody switchblade.

"Leonore," Zoro growled, turning back to her once he finished his attempt to bore holes into Morgan, who was now ordering his men to enter the courtyard and execute the trio of teens. "Tie that off to stop the blood loss and both of you run for your lives! The Marines are almost here."

"No way!" Coby snapped, ducking with a shriek as another bullet shot over his head. "We've got to get you out of here now! They're going to kill you in three days!"

"Oh, Helmeppo-baka's going to wait that long?" Kim panted sarcastically, pulling a handkerchief out of her bag and wrapping it around her bleeding forearm. "I'm shocked."

Coby ignored her sarcasm and informed Zoro of the happenings in town between Luffy and Helmeppo. The swordsman was shocked that a complete stranger would punch someone on his behalf. Coby just went on praising his friend and trying to convince Zoro to help Luffy.

"I won't force you to become a pirate," Coby promised, looking up and meeting Zoro's intimidating stare. Kim grinned slightly at the sight. Coby really was growing into a brave kid, though all of his sense would flood out of his pretty little head because of his interaction with the Monkey family.

Kim's happy expression melted off her face as a stab of pain throbbed through her arm, causing her to hunch over and bite her lip. She never wanted to get shot again. She had never had any really big injuries as far as she remembered. She was too cautious and smart to participate in the stupid stunts most of her age group found amusing, so she remained unscarred and ignorant to true pain. So the gunshot was truly messing with her brain at the moment.

She turned an ear back to the boys' conversation when the sudden pain passed, hearing Coby's next words, "However, Luffy is my friend and savior. If you two join forces, you will definitely be able to escape this town."

"I don't know about that," the brunette snorted, dragging herself over beside them. "You think they have enough brains between them to do that?"

"Hey!" Zoro snapped, glaring at her. Kim stuck her tongue out in an expression of utmost maturity.

 _Cli-click~!_ The trio's heads snapped around as the sounds of a gun cocking rang through the air. Kim found herself staring down the barrels of at least fifteen guns and she cowered into Zoro's legs, clutching at her injured arm. The smell of coppery blood filled her nose and her eyes widened with despair.

All rational thought fled her brain and her body seized up with fear. A mantra ran through her head, even as something lit up in the recesses of her mind. _Luffy would arrive on time. Oh, my God they're pointing guns at us! Gonna die, gonna die, gonna die –_

"The three of you who have defied Lieutenant Morgan, die here!"

"Surround the base! Don't let the guy with the Straw Hat escape!" said the man they had defied, glaring at them hatefully. Kim wondered what the hell was up with the Marines' speed in this world. Then again, Morgan probably would have killed anyone who didn't follow his orders immediately and lagged behind. "How interesting... The four of you were planning on causing political upheaval? Roronoa Zoro, I've heard your name quite a bit. But you underestimate me. Before my great strength, you're just garbage. Once I take care of you four, the woman and the girl you've been trying to protect will die as well. Because that's what happens when people disrespect me!"

_The bitch said what?!_

Kim's golden gaze sharpened drastically, losing what fear they might have expressed. Was this guy seriously threatening a little kid, the sweet and innocent Rika who was just trying to help her hero, in front of Kim's face? Oh, _hell no._ Kaine, Kim's oldest brother, didn't raise her to sit back and watch when something like that happened. He taught Kim to get the hell up and kick some ass if the situation called for it.

The now angry brunette rose to her feet, glaring at the Lieutenant. Once Luffy showed up and deflected those bullets, she intended to rush at him and give him a black eye to remember him by. Hell, she'd already defied Helmeppo and would be considered a criminal for associating with Luffy and Zoro, so she might as well do something to deserve it!

"READY! AIM!" one of the Marine bellowed. Kim tensed, feeling Zoro stiffen behind her and heard Coby whimper.

"FIRE!" Morgan finished for him.

"ROCKET!" Another voice sounded from one of the windows in the base and a blur shot out in front of the trio of misfits.

_Bang, bang, bang, bang~!_

The shots of rifles rang out through the air only to be deflected by a certain rubber man with a straw hat. Said rubber man had lept out in front of the trio, arms spread. The bullets sank into his rubber skin, held for a moment, then flew back at the Marines with double the original fire power, just barely missing Morgan's face (as well as a few of the lesser Marines).

"You!" Zoro gawked while Coby shrieked in horror and called out to his friend, thinking that he'd gotten hurt by the bullets. Kim, however, was already on the move, a step behind the ricocheting bullets and launching her fist at Morgan's face while Luffy laughed hysterically at the Marines' facial expressions.

The brunette grimaced as the recoil from her attack went through her smaller form and caused her forearm to throb. She gritted her teeth against the pain and jumped away from Morgan before he could retaliate, ducking and weaving through the lesser Marines until Kim was back beside the boys she had been helping a few minutes ago.

As a child, Kaine had taught Kim to be quick on her feet so she would be able to hold her own in a fight. He wasn't about to kid himself or Kim into thinking she could take someone on at her size. Kim was tall like her eldest brother, but had the same build as Kenny, their other brother. They were all length and no muscle. It had become obvious early on that Kim and Ken were built for speed rather than strength, which was lucky for Kim, whose speed helped out when running from the fights the young woman often found herself in. Kaine and Kim weren't built similarly past the hair and eyes, but they had the same short temper and the tendency to get themselves into rather sticky situations. So Kim was well versed in the art of 'running away!'

"Are you both crazy?!" Zoro demanded of the two seventeen year olds, who seemed extremely pleased with themselves. The black haired boy and the brunette exchanged a delighted grin before they turned to the bound swordsman.

"I'm the man who'll be come the pirate king!" Luffy grinned. "Bullets won't hurt me!"

"I'm just short-tempered!" Kim said cheerfully, her grin becoming rather strained as her arm continued to throb as more blood trickled down off her fingers. The ground was becoming blood-stained around her feet. This concerned her. She had never bled this freely before so why was this happening now? Could it be because she'd never been hurt like this before or because she was now in an anime world where everyone bled insane amounts and still lived? Kim wasn't sure. Maybe it was just her bad tying skills.

Luckily for her, Luffy took the spotlight of the group when he stepped up to Zoro "Hey, hey!" he demanded, holding out all three katana swords, "Which one is yours? I couldn't tell, so I brought all three!"

"All of them belong to me, because I use three katana." Zoro said gruffly, his eyes wandering over to Leonore. She was now swaying on her feet, her expression dazed and her eyes going in and out of focus. The woman's body was losing too much blood and she would pass out soon if she kept moving like she did. She might even die if she didn't get some treatment for the gunshot wound. The swordsman turned back to Luffy with a grin, ignoring the snaps and insults Morgan was spouting at them as he clutched his swelling eye. Damn Leonore had gotten a good hit on him!

"If you resist the Marines with me, you'll become an outlaw. But if you want to die here..." Luffy trailed off at the end, smirking in a way Kim didn't think was possible for the rubber man.

"Are you some sort of con-artist?" Zoro asked rhetorically. "Forget I asked. I'll join you since I don't want to die here. I'll accept your request and become a pirate!"

Luffy grinned happily.


	8. Battle in the Courtyard!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which, if you read the chapter title, you'll know what happens.

"Yahoo! My first crew member!" Luffy cheered, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Yeah, yeah." Zoro grumbled, feeling himself flush slightly. "Just hurry up and get these ropes off of me." Luffy agreed and moved closer, tugging at the bonds. All that was really holding Zoro back was the ropes around his arms. Kim had finally managed to slice through the ropes around his abdomen and Coby had done a decent job of loosening the ones around Zoro's right arm and they were frayed from the sawing the pinkette had attempted.

Speaking of Coby, just where the hell was he? Zoro's eyes flickered around for a moment and found the kid supporting Kim's slumped form. Her golden eyes were half-closed and blank, signaling her descent into unconsciousness.

Well, she wasn't going to be any more help.

Coby looked rather panicked and was trembling under her weight. Zoro found this surprising because Kim didn't look heavy to him, but she was a lot taller than Coby and the boy did seem like a weakling... The pinkette let out a yelp as Kim finally passed out and fell on him, sending the two of them crashing to the ground, the brunette's fall broken by Coby's slightly chubby form.

Meanwhile, Morgan was explaining Devil Fruits to his men. Mythical fruits that gave the eater strange powers seemed a bit farfetched to Zoro, but he had the proof right in front of him. So Luffy ate one of the ocean's treasures? That explained how he was able to deflect the bullets without injury.

During Morgan's speech, one of the lower Marines noticed Luffy fiddling with Zoro's bonds and turned to his superior with a terrified expression. That amused Zoro. The guy was afraid of him getting free and letting loose on them. Zoro leered at him, making the poor guy jump and hide behind one of his comrades.

"Lieutenant! That guy's trying to untie Roronoa's ropes!"

"Don't let him take them off!" Morgan bellowed, giving the signal for his men to charge forward. His next words meant for Luffy, "If guns don't work, use swords on him!"

The men behind and beside the taller commander gave a loud, unified shout as they raced towards the three boys and the unconscious girl. A few of the men hesitated longer than the others. Killing a bunch of teenagers seemed wrong. What if someone was ordered to do the same thing to their children one day? Would someone miss these kids if they never got home? Would their families grieve over them when they got the news and blame the Marines for it?

Upon seeing their hesitation, Morgan glared hatefully at the men, propelling them into action. They might not like it, but it wasn't as if they had a choice. It was either obey or die and, though it was against their morals, they would rather kill these teens than die and leave their families without fathers.

"Oi! Hurry up!" Zoro shouted at his new captain while the dark haired boy just pouted, lamenting that the ropes were hard to untie.

"Ugh, she's heavy!" Coby groaned, carefully shoving Kim's prone form off of him. He made sure that she wasn't resting on her injured arm and turned to see the Marines racing towards them, their expressions a mixture of terror, regret, and determination. "Waaaaaah! Luffy! Zoro! Look out!"

The two older boys ignored him in favor of arguing with each other about the ropes, Zoro heatedly and Luffy whining. Finally, the more childish boy perked up, the ropes coming undone. "Ah, it came untied!" he grinned happily, and Zoro turned red with rage.

"Hurry up and give me my swords!" the green haired man demanded, snatching the swords away from Luffy and slicing through the remainder of his bonds.

What happened next caused Coby to gape in shock. In less than five seconds, Zoro had broken free, launched himself in front of their group, and blocked all the swords the Marines had swung down at him. There had to be about fifty or so men bearing down on him with all their strength and yet Zoro didn't even seem bothered by it. Was this the power of a demon?! Coby didn't know, but he was both awed and intimidated by it.

"Damn, that's pretty cool..." a weary voice drifted up from beside him. The pinkette turned to find Kim blinking at the pair of boys in front of them, her face less pale than it had been a moment ago and her expression significantly more relaxed.

"Kim-san!" the boy cried, smiling at her with relief. "You're awake! Zoro-san's really amazing, isn't he?" Coby glanced over at Zoro holding back the Marines with barely a twitch of his wrists. Amazing indeed.

Kim chuckled at his awed tone and watched with tired amusement as Zoro easily threatened the Marines he had blocked, turning them into terrified noodles. The swordsman seemed satisfied that the men were sufficiently intimidated by his killing intent and dark words. He turned towards Luffy, who was only a few feet away from him, watching the whole thing with an amused expression.

"I said I would be your crewmate," Zoro said, smirking darkly. "But I have my own goals as well. I'm going to become the world's greatest swordsman! I don't care if I accomplish it by being a good guy or bad guy in the world's terms, just as long as it is known worldwide! If you get in my way, I'll cut you up!"

"Jajaja," Kim laughed, gracing the swordsman with a wide grin. Zoro's eyes locked on her, a bit surprised that she was awake once more. "Isn't the current Greatest Swordsman a pirate anyways? Why break tradition? I'm impressed to see two people with such great ambitions. Especially ones that should be difficult to make come true. You might change the world with that attitude!" Zoro smirked at her around the Wado Ichimonji, his primary sword, and Luffy offered her a blinding grin. Kim's smile faded into something softer. Her voice dropped down to a melancholy mumble. "If I could have the same passion about opening a wormhole, I'm sure I would have managed to make it off this island by now." She supposed that her disinclination to join Blackbeard was what held her back, but she wouldn't admit it out loud.

She set her jaw and looked back at the two new Straw Hat Pirates, surprised to find Luffy giving her a serious look (Kim was baffled by all these serious moments he seemed to be having). However, the look faded into something that resembled approval and he turned back to Zoro. "Good! The Pirate King wouldn't have anything less than the best on his crew! I'd be embarrassed if you couldn't accomplish something so small!"

"Heh, well said!" Zoro smirked.

However, despite the pleasant feelings radiating around the teenagers (Coby excluded since he was scared silly by the whole situation), Morgan just wasn't feeling the love. The blond man's aura had been steadily darkening as the teens chatted like they didn't have a care in the world. When the Lieutenant spoke again, his words were brusque and angry, booming through the courtyard like a roll of thunder. The men who attempted to attack the teens trembled with fear, exchanging terrified looks. They were caught between a political madman and one of the most intimidating men they had ever had the displeasure to meet.

"Hey, Zoro!" Luffy called, pulling his leg back. "Duck! _Gomu Gomu no..._ " That was all the warning the swordsman got before Luffy shouted " _Muchi!_ " and the Marines were sent hurtling away from them as his rubber appendage shot forward and swept them off their feet. The air was filled with screams of fear and surprise before the men hit the ground with grunts of pain. Luckily, Zoro had taken Luffy's advice and ducked before the attack commenced, leaving him right where he had been. He rose out of his crouch, slowly incase Luffy decided to attack again, and gazed around at the chaos surrounding him.

"So cool!" Coby cried, his fear taking a backseat to his admiration and excitement. Kim grinned in agreement with him, her golden eyes lightening to a warm honey shade.

"What are you?" Zoro asked, raising an eyebrow at his new captain. Luffy smiled and wiggled his still raised leg at him.

"I'm a rubber man!" His tone suggested that it was a pretty normal thing to be, and Kim could understand the idea behind it. After all, he'd lived as a rubber person for eleven years. It was normal for him to be made of rubber.

"So, does every part of you stretch?" Kim asked, the implication so clear in her tone that Coby gave her a scandalized look while Zoro simply raised his eyebrows.

Kim shrugged helplessly in return. Her brothers and guy friends had corrupted her mind with their constantly perverted attitudes.

She was a frigging teenager!

Wasn't she allowed, if not expected, to be occasionally immature?!

"Yeah," Luffy laughed, his eyes sparkling. It seemed as if he'd understood her hidden question, but one could never tell with him. Kim decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and say he understood. Besides, Luffy _was_ a teenage young man, so it's not so surprising.

While the teenagers conversed among themselves, a worried murmur went through the fallen Marines. They questioned their ability to defeat such monsters as Luffy and Zoro and expressed their reluctance to fight them to their captain. This angered Morgan to the point of ordering the men that announced their fear to shoot themselves, saying that useless soldiers would not be tolerated. The men gaped at him in disbelief before raising their pistols to their heads, shaking in fear and horror.

As one, Kim, Zoro and Luffy turned to the Marine Lieutenant with glares. Kim stood shakily as Luffy raced forward like she had done earlier, slamming his fist into Morgan's face. She grinned once she realized that it was the same one she hit and took a step forward to stand a bit closer to the action. Her golden eyes watched avidly as Luffy taunted him both intentionally and unintentionally, dodged Morgan's blows, returning his attacks at double the force, barely even building up a sweat. It was amazing how someone could fight a person so much bigger than them. However, Kim's attention was taken away from the battle when an arm wrapped around her throat, choking her.

"Gack!" Kim coughed, glaring at the blond onion-head who grabbed her and she winced when he banged into her injured arm as he pointed his gun at Coby. Her breathing became ragged as the pain in her arm intensified to a nearly unbearable level.

"Some Marine you are," Luffy growled when Morgan was finally on the ground, bleeding and beaten. The dark haired boy pulled his fist back, preparing to strike. "Destroyed Coby's dreams and goals."

 _Oh, yeah. Morgan was gonna get the shit beat out of him. If_ there was one thing Kim knew Luffy couldn't stand, it was someone crushing another person's dreams.

"Wait!" Helmeppo screamed in her ear, making it ring and increasing the throb in her head. Luffy glanced over at him disinterestedly for a second before slamming his fist into Morgan's face again. Helmeppo gave a little shriek of frustration. "You idiot! I told you to wait! If you want this guy and your girlfriend to survive, then don't move! If you move I'll shoot them both!"

"Luffy! I don't want to be in your way! I don't care if I die! I'm not afraid of death!" Coby shouted bravely, showing how much Luffy had affected him in such a sort time. Kim could already see the image him as a strong Marine in her mind.

Kim snickered mentally, giving the boy a grin as she thought, _Heh, how much do you wanna bet they'll have a relationship like Garp and Roger did? Coby'll probably be the one to bring Luffy in if Oda writes it that way. Or Smoker since he's kinda like the Garp to Luffy's Roger. . ._

"Luffy-san! Kick this guy's ass, would you?!" Kim shouted to the dark haired boy, exchanging a grin with him.

"Okay!" he laughed. " _Gomu Gomu no..._ " He pulled his fist back, causing Helmeppo to panic and tighten his grip on Kim. The brunette hissed in pain and sank her teeth into his arm, utilizing the only weapon she could at the moment: her body. He yelped and released her as several things happened at once.

Morgan raised his axe.

Zoro shot forward at him, slicing at the man's abdomen with his swords.

Luffy shouted " _pistol!_ " and let his arm fly forward, smacking Helmeppo in the face, making the Marine's son release Kim and drop his pistol.

The blond fell to the ground, landing with a solid thud at Kim's feet.

"Nice," Luffy smirked and Kim spat the blood out of her mouth and hummed in agreement, stepping on Helmeppo's fingers and crushing them into the ground. Once she was satisfied he was in pain, she walked away to stand by Coby. The brunette hadn't exactly punched him like she wanted to, but Luffy had done it for her and she got the chance to bite him, so she felt rather satisfied with herself. "That was nice Zoro!"

The swordsman smirked at him from beside Morgan's fallen form. He sheathed his swords and turned to Luffy. "Leave it to me... Captain!"

All of the teenagers exchanged triumphant grins, feeling rather giddy from the battle's successful outcome. _I_ _could get used to this kind of feeling,_ Kim mused throwing an arm around Coby's shoulders and leading him over to Zoro and Luffy, the latter of which had waved them over with an excited expression.

"Hey, Kim-nee-chan! What do you say to becoming my nakama?" the rubber man asked gleefully, eyes sparkling.

The girl opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off when Zoro suddenly ruined the moment by collapsing from hunger. Kim laughed as Luffy and Coby rushed over to the fallen swordsman, feeling giddy as all the adrenaline in her body flooded out, leaving her exhausted and feeling the effects of her blood loss. She staggered towards the rest of the teens until Coby returned to help her walk. The Marines celebrated Morgan's defeat loudly, tossing their hats into the air and pounding each other on the back.

Victory was sweet for everyone.


	9. Cast Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kim, Zoro and Luffy blow this Popsicle stand (...okay that was a little perverted sounding...)

"Mah, it's like being followed by the paparazzi!" Kim commented watching the crowd outside the restaurant that were watching her new group.

"What's a paparazzi?" Rika asked curiously, looking up at her.

"Crazy people, honey, crazy people." She turned away from them uneasily and focused on the meal Rika's mother had made for her. It was some sort of honey chicken dish that Kim fell in love with immediately. Three bites in, she had begged for the recipe. She'd give it to Sanji when he joined the crew, unable to cook herself. Kim was hopeless when it came to cooking.

Kim had changed as soon as she got to the restaurant and got her arm treated. She now had pristine white bandages wrapped around it and a black sling to match her black shirt, which had a horizontal white stripe across the chest. Her jeans were bright red, as were her shoes and the hair clips she was using to pull her hair back. Kim was also wearing a vest like Luffy's, but hers was black with white buttons and trim. Zoro had also changed into some clean clothes from a bag Rika's mother had been keeping for him. The improvement was nice, especially since he had showered, something Kim had forced him to do under threat of keeping food from him.

"I suppose they're just thankful that Morgan doesn't have a tight reign over them anymore," Coby said. He was seated to her right across from Zoro and beside Luffy He yelped and deflected another attempt Luffy made at stealing his food. "Luffy-san! Quit that!"

"Just ignore him," Kim advised, not even looking as she warded off the rubber hands with her switchblade. She gave her captain a stern look and pointed at his own plate. "Luffy-kun, you still have food. Eat it."

"But that looks good!" he whined. Kim rolled her eyes and transferred a medium sized portion of the chicken to his plate. "If you asked, I would have shared. Now I'm not giving you any more than that." Luffy pouted but eagerly consumed what Kim had given him.

Zoro chuckled at their interaction and leaned back in his hair, resting a hand on his stomach. "Ah, I'm full!" he sighed, laughing boisterously. "I haven't eaten in so long! I almost starved to death!"

Kim smiled at him, refraining from mentioning that he had, in fact, eaten yesterday. Then again those rolls she brought him and Rika's rice ball couldn't have sated a starving man's appetite.

"That's all you're going to eat?" Luffy asked Zoro incredulously, while still shoveling more food into his already full mouth. Kim was both disgusted and impressed by the fact he could still talk with his cheeks bulging. "Lightweight."

Zoro scowled at the vocal jab and poked the younger man roughly in the stomach. "You're so scrawny, how can you eat so much more than me?!"

"It's because he's a teenager." Kim snorted, ruffling Luffy's hair. The boy whined and ruffled his hair. "We tend to eat a lot, even girls. And he's probably got a high metabolism." Kim frowned at Luffy as he stole the rest of her chicken.

"Sorry," Coby said bashfully rubbing the back of his neck as he turned to Rika's mother with a sheepish expression. "Even I ate a lot."

The woman waved him off with a smile, saying that the town heroes could eat as much as they wanted. After all, they were the ones that took down Morgan.

"Aw, you're kind of adorable when you act like that~!" Kim cooed over the pinkette, her eyes sparkling evilly. "I wonder if you'll still be like that when you're a Marine?" Coby embarrassedly warded her off with protest and Kim sank back in her chair, snickering and grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"So, what's your plan?" Zoro asked Luffy, his own question causing Kim to turn to the conversation as well with a curious expression painted on her face. It wasn't like she was in the dark about the coming conversation, but it was important for her to pay attention. Things in this world might differ the anime or the manga. Kim's presence would also have a factor in changing the timeline. That was what she worried about the most. She dreaded to know what kind of surprises were lurking in the shadows of the future.

"To head for the Grand Line," Luffy said casually while stuffing some more meat in his mouth. Kim raised an eyebrow, amused and unsurprised, while everyone around her made noises of shock and disbelief as Coby called him crazy and begged the trio not to head there so soon, if at all.

"We're going for One Piece," Zoro reminded him, not affected by Luffy's statement either, having heard it earlier when Luffy convinced him to join the crew. "We'd have to go there eventually."

"And we won't be the only ones with that goal. We've got to catch up to everyone else wanting to be the Pirate King." Kim added as both she and Zoro leaned back in their chairs as Coby got up in their faces.

"Zoro-san! Kim-san! Everything you're saying is insane! Insane!" Coby wailed, clutching at his head.

"But logical~!" Kim sang shoving him out of her personal bubble as well as Zoro's by default.

"Why are you so worked up about it?" Zoro asked, his expression exasperated,"It's not like you're coming too..."

"Even so, I can still worry about my friends can't I?!" Coby went on to declare his friendship to Luffy and that he had taught him to follow his dreams.

It was a really nice expression, but much too sappy for Kim to follow for long and she wanted this part to play out as it should. She settled for doodling on her bandages with a black marker she had found in her backpack. She caught bits and pieces of the conversation between the boys– something about Coby being a former pirate and that the Marines might not let him join– but stayed zoned out until the restaurant's door was wrenched open.

"Excuse me," the new leader of the Marines said, stepping inside. Kim sighed and recapped her marker, deciding to finish her drawing of Kon (from Bleach) later. The brunette shouldered her backpack casually as she listened to the man speak. "We were wondering if you were actually pirates..."

"Yep!" Luffy said happily. "And I just met my first two crew members-" Kim offered them a cheerful wave and a smile while Zoro just smirked, "So that makes us a pirate crew now!"

The Marine nodded and very politely thanked them for getting rid of Morgan, but– still politely– ordered them to leave; because they were pirates, and as Marines they couldn't allow such scoundrels to stay.

Which made Kim wonder about something; how was a pirate supposed to retire (if they lived that long) and stop terrorizing the seas if they weren't allowed to stay anywhere? It was really something to think about. What if those pirates hadn't done anything truly horrible, never killed anyone, never hurt anyone that didn't deserve it? What was true piracy in this world? Luffy never really acted like a pirate, anyways, so did he really count? It was a lot to think about.

"Hmm," Luffy said, unconcerned by the fact they were (figuratively) being run out of town. "Well, let's go then. Thank you for the food, ma'am." He smiled at Rika's mother.

"It was really great!" Kim told her happily, thanking her once again as they headed out, ignoring Coby. She offered Rika a small smile though, reaching out with her good hand to briefly ruffle the little girl's hair. "See you around, Rika-chan."

Kim moved out of the restaurant and began walking towards the dock, occasionally replying to one of the people in the crowd. She got stopped every few feet by a grateful or admiring citizen, who she always waved off by pointing them back to Luffy and Zoro, the actual heroes of the day.

Kim stopped for a moment when she heard Coby shout "SHUT UP!" followed by the sound of flesh hitting flesh. Luffy shouted back enthusiastically, his bad acting obvious to Kim, who couldn't even _see_ him. The young woman grinned at her captain as he and Zoro caught up to her, a pleased smile on the rubber boy's face. Kim laughed when Zoro mock-lunged at a couple of Marines, making them jump.

"So," Kim asked when they were all walking side by side, Luffy in the middle. "Could the Marines see through his bad acting?"

"Definitely," Zoro snorted, lightly shoving the younger boy in Kim's direction. "This guy is awful at lying."

"Hey!" Luffy whined as he pouted at them.

Kim gave him a consoling pat on the shoulder, "But it'll work out. It won't be such a big deal now that he's shown how he isn't your ally."

"I think he'll get stronger in the future, so that he won't have to rely on people so much."

Luffy hummed, untying his boat from the dock.

"A true Marine in the making," Kim agreed, climbing into the boat behind her captain.

"We'd better go now or something might happen. Not leaving anything behind, like true pirates!" Zoro grinned.

Luffy and Kim grinned in agreement.

"Lu. . . Lu. . ." Kim blinked in confusion as someone ran around the corner panting Luffy's name. "LUFFY-SAN! THANK YOU! I WILL NEVER FORGET WHAT YOU DID FOR ME FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!" Coby shouted, saluting them.

Zoro whistled. "A Marine saluting pirates? That's unusual."

Luffy laughed and waved at his pink haired friend. "Coby! We'll meet again someday!"

"Bai bai, Onii-sans! Nee-chan!" Rika cried, standing beside Coby and waving.

"Bye Rika!" Kim shouted back, waving with her uninjured arm. The two seventeen year olds continued with their good-byes until the island faded from sight, taking Rika and Coby's shouts along with it.

Luffy fell back into the boat with a solid thump, dragging Kim over to him for an excited hug. "Yahoo! We're off! Grand Line, here we come!"

Kim shouted her agreement, latching onto her captain and hugging him back. The two of them ended up rolling around the little boat, though Kim was careful not to knock her arm into anything, and into Zoro.

"Zoro! Play with us!" Kim demanded, dragging him down so that she and Luffy could crawl all over him. The swordsman spluttered a protest, but the two younger teens refused to yield and used their combined strength to overpower him.

"Damn!" he groaned, trying to shove Luffy who was on his chest, and Kim who was occupying his legs, off. "What did I get myself into?!"


	10. Birds of a Feather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And then there were birds. Well, just the one bird. And a bird-brain.

Sailing at sea was truly something to experience. Kim wasn't much help at first, what with her arm in a sling, but Zoro had begun to teach her the basics of sailing the ship– boat really– and taught her how to work the trimming so that she could direct the boat.

She wasn't allowed to steer the boat by herself, neither was Luffy, but he had a better idea of what he was doing than Kim did, and was only allowed to tie the ropes under Zoro's watchful eyes. Though they didn't follow Zoro's directions.

And sailing wasn't the only thing that Kim had to get used to.

In between the moments when her stomach refused to settle, seasickness was _hell_ , she was asking and answering questions from Luffy and Zoro. The simple stuff like their respective dreams and home came first; Kim claimed that she was from a far off island that was far more advanced than anything they had ever seen, but she was lost and didn't know how to get home. After all, the last part was true and the best lies were shrouded by truth. Then the group question and answer session turned to other stuff like favorite colors (silver and gold for Kim, red for Luffy, and green for Zoro… of course their favorite colors were their color schemes), favorite foods and if they thought they were going to starve to death before they made it to land.

Which led them to now.

"I'm so hungry~!" Luffy groaned.

"Well, if you two had any navigational skills, we'd be on an island by now instead of starving on the sea!" Zoro growled. He had become extremely short tempered over the past week or so due to the lack of food.

However, Kim was in an even fouler mood. Her normally pleasant nature had gone down as her stomach emptied itself. She had spent her entire life knowing that food was only a room or two away, never worrying about starving or finding land in a world covered by water. Even though Zoro reminded her of Kaine, he didn't provide the same domestic security her older brother offered.

"Oi, don't drag me into this shit!" The girl snapped back, hand dragging across the surface of the ocean. Kim had gotten fed up with starvation and decided to use her good arm as sea king bait. Who cared if she lost an arm? She had another, albeit injured one. As long as she got some sea king for lunch, she didn't care. "I told you that I've never been off dry land before in my life. The one time I do get dragged away from home, I get shot and can't figure out how to get back! I didn't have time to learn navigational skills, what with fighting Marine and joining pirate crews!"

"Hey, hey!" Luffy said, grabbing Kim– she had stood up, ready to fight with Zoro– and pulling her back down to sit beside him. He didn't like it when his first mate and Chronicler – Kim's new title – fought without any humor. "Calm down, nee-chan! Zoro, don't pick on Kim when she's in a bad mood. She might push us both overboard."

"Tch," Kim scoffed [at what?], sitting back down and letting her fingers trail over the water once more. The chronicler glared at the water, wishing that she was back home with her brothers.

How were they taking her disappearance? Did Kaine get mad and break something? Or did he get really quiet and expressionless like he did when their mom and dad died? Ken probably kept up a strong front all day before going home and crying to Mike. Mike... He was her best friend back home, being the same age as Zoro. Would he be devastated? Kim didn't know.

Once Luffy was satisfied that she wasn't going to try and start another fight he turned to Zoro, "I've always just wandered around," the rubber boy explained, smiling slightly. "Besides, aren't you the same? Wandering around and catching pirates for their rewards?"

"I don't recall saying that I only lived off of rewards. I was searching for a man, that's why I left to the sea. I ran out of money and had to make a living somehow. Taking down pirates was the easiest thing. But, now I can't find my way back home..."

Kim and Luffy exchanged amused grins, but their thoughts were completely different as the girl spoke up first," _'Searching for a man?'_ Dude, you sound like my brother did before he started dating his boyfriend!"

"Shishishi! So, you're lost too?!" Luffy laughed, leaning forward to make a silly face at Zoro.

The swordsman went red with embarrassment and swiped at the younger teens. "Shut up idiots!"

Kim and Luffy fell over each other in a giggle fit, enjoying their crewmate's reaction to their teasing. It took them a few minutes to calm down and catch their breath, but it was a futile effort. They took one look at each other and burst out laughing again.

 _This shouldn't be that funny,_ Kim thought, clutching at her aching ribs. _It must be the lack of food making me so crazy!_

"Geez," Zoro groaned, kicking Kim in the shin. The brunette yelped as her hysterical mood was broken and the young woman lunged at Zoro, but didn't make it is as Kim was held back by Luffy. The swordsman pointedly ignored her half-hearted attempts to hit him back and continued with his complaints. "Stuck with a couple of teenagers that don't know how to navigate. Luffy, how do you expect to travel the Grandline like this? We need to hurry up and find someone with navigational skills!"

Kim shrugged Luffy's grip off to sit down, vowing silently to get revenge on Zoro; while at the same time as the younger man sat down beside his Chronicler he counted off on his fingers, "And a cook and a musician..."

"A shipwright and a doctor would be useful as well, necessary if you think about it." The brunette teen sighed, laying back and staring at the clouds.

"Let's start with a navigator for now." Zoro grunted, settled down for a nap and his other two crewmembers exchanged a look of utter boredom that could so easily grip teenage minds.

"...wanna cloud watch?" Kim suggested desperately. The black haired boy hummed in agreement and lay down beside her. "Elephant," Kim began, pointing out a cloud that reminded her of Disney's Dumbo. It even had a little hat on its head. Funny that she saw a circus elephant when they were getting ready to run into clown pirates.

"Tanuki." Luffy continued as his point at a cloud that looked like a raccoon dog. Kim blinked in confusion for a moment before she remembered what a tanuki was. Wait, if tanuki were rarely seen, why did everyone think Chopper looked like one? That would be something to ask about later.

"Dog."

"Bird!"

"Eh?! That's a real bird!" Kim exclaimed, her eyes widening with surprise.

Luffy squinted at it curiously, "...let's eat it." The rubber boy suggested, a grin spreading across his face.

"How're we going to catch it?" Kim wondered curiously, trying to remember why the bird was so important. Hunger clouded her mind, making her think of how tasty the bird would be rather than what it meant to the story line.

Luffy pulled his arms back, tensing all his muscles and looked at the bird with a calculating gaze. Suddenly, he released all the tension at once, throwing his arms forward like he was pitching a pair of baseballs from both hands. "I'll go get it! _Gomu Gomu no... Roketto!_ "

Kim watched with alarm as Luffy launched himself at it, realization hitting her the moment the Devil Fruit user left her side. "Shit! That bird's going to carry him off! Zoro! Wake up dammit!" She punched him in the stomach, successfully getting her revenge for the kick to her shin and startling him awake.

"Ooff!" Zoro grunted, his eyes shooting open with a pained expression flitting across his face.

Kim didn't waste a second and grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him violently, "Luffy's being carried off by a giant bird!" The girl turned and pointed up at the avian that was already flying away with their captain.

"What?!" The swordsman jerked up, one hand going instinctively to his swords while the other grabbed the collar of Kim's T-shirt. The brunette flinched back and craned her neck away from the swordsman, who had just invaded her personal space. She didn't mind having her face so close to someone else as long as she was the one initiating the movement. When other people did it, she just got nervous. "Why?!"

"I'll explain later when we have the time! We've got to catch up to them before Luffy becomes bird food!"

"Dammit!" Zoro shouted, shoving her out of the way. He flopped down into the middle of the boat and snatched up the oars, sending the flat end into the water with a splash, getting water all over the both of them, and then began rowing madly after their captain. Kim stood shakily, trying to adjust to the movement of the boat, and clutched at the mast, her eyes locked firmly on the bird's disappearing figure. Zoro's irritated mood only worsened when Kim told him about the three shipwrecked men that were just ahead of them, begging for help. "Stranded people at a time like this? Dammit!"

"We don't have time to stop!" Kim yelled at the men in the water.

"Jump on if you can!" Zoro bellowed, glancing over his shoulder at the trio of soaked pirates. The swordsman looked incredibly annoyed with everything at the moment and Kim remained silent, not wanting to further his bad mood. The three stranded pirates shouted in surprise, but latched onto the speeding boat as it passed by.

"Wow, I didn't think that they'd make it!" Kim exclaimed, tensing in preparation of the attempted attack to come.

"Their climbing skills aren't too bad," Zoro chuckled, looking back to make sure they were still following Luffy and the bird.

The Buggy pirates jumped to their feet shouted at the teens for trying to run them over with their boat. Kim exchanged a bemused look with Zoro as the pirates went about their rant, the brunette surprised by the anger the men were showed. Zoro shrugged silently, not knowing what to tell her. Eventually, the trio of Buggy pirates shook off their irritation and pulled out sabers and knives, pointing their weapons at the teenagers, attempting to radiate intimidation. "Stop the boat! You're in the territory of Buggy the Clown!" the leader of the three ordered, pointing his sword at Kim, aiming for the weakest seeming. The brunette offered him an unimpressed look, annoyed by the fact that she was being threatened.

"What?" Zoro growled, his light gray eyes flashing.

Two minutes later after a severe beating from the pair of Straw Hat pirates (mainly Zoro since Kim's arm was useless, but she got a few good kicks in!) the three men sat at the front of the boat covered in bruises and being forced to row after Luffy and the bird.

"We didn't know that you two were 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro and his friend! We're really sorry..." they apologized. Kim felt a stab of irritation that Zoro got a title while she was just his 'friend'. She knew though that it wasn't his fault, he was a little famous while Kim had only been in this world long enough to meet a handful of people.

"You made us lose sight of our friend!" Kim scolded, glaring at them with the same intensity Zoro was. The Buggy pirates cowered beneath their combined intimidation. Kim wasn't extremely powerful like Zoro or Luffy, but she was smart and had been trained by one of the best: her big brother!

"Put some back into it!" Zoro snapped. "If we don't find our friend you three will be in for it…" The trio let out a sequence of girlish whimpers and Kim shared a smirk with Zoro, who looked pleased with the fear he was putting into the other pirates' hearts.

"So what happened to you guys?" Kim asked, allowing the conversation to drift away from Luffy for the moment.

The Buggy pirates jumped on the chance to tell their story. Kim and Zoro listened impassively as they spoke of Nami and how she had tricked them into boarding her little rowboat while she stole theirs. Kim was unimpressed with them, wondering how one teenage girl could outwit a trio of grown men. Zoro, however, was impressed by the red head's ability to predict the actions of a sudden storm so easily.

"She must be something special!" The green hair man whistled, leaning back.

Kim rolled her eyes and sat down beside him, curling up to his side. "I'm going to sleep until we get there." she sighed, closing her eyes. "Wake me up when we get wherever it is we're going."

Zoro grunted in acknowledgement and turned back to the Buggy pirates so he could hear about their 'great and terrible' captain: Buggy the Clown. However, throughout all the bragging the trio of men did about their captain (fangirling was a more appropriate word), he remained aware of Kim's heat seeping into his side. It was surprising, really, that she had so much confidence in him after knowing him for such a short time. No one had ever done that before, except for Luffy and his sensei. Zoro didn't know what possessed people to be so trusting, he trusted very few people himself and was a skeptic in the utmost sense, so it was unusual for him. The swordsman shifted so that Kim was mostly hidden to the other men and watched them carefully. If someone placed their trust in him so easily, it was his obligation to protect that trust.


	11. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoro and Kim finally catch up to Luffy. But a familiar face stops the Chronicler for a moment and an overdue talk is had.

"We're here, Zoro-sama! Leonore-hime!"

At the sound of the still new voices, Kim opened her eyes and swatted Zoro's hand away as he prodded her in her ribs insistently, "Already?" she yawned, rubbing at her aching eyes.

"Seems like it," Zoro said, helping the teenager out of the boat and onto the dock.

"But it doesn't look like anyone lives here. This village is empty."

"Probably because the Buggy pirates showed up, right?" Kim asked, turning to the three men for confirmation.

"Yes, that's right. At the moment, our Buggy pirate fleet is raiding this village," the biggest of the three men said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. His crew mates ignored them in favor of arguing about what to tell Buggy since all the treasure they had been sent out to collect was stolen by Nami.

"Well, we'd better go meet this Buggy guy, Kim. We might be able to hear something about Luffy." Zoro sighed, stretching and yawning.

"I am afraid that you will have to go by yourself, Roronoa-san. I plan on stealing your Chronicler for a few minutes." A familiar, nails-on-a-chalkboard voice rang out over the docks, making everyone jump and look for the mysterious speaker. Zoro was the first to spot Akane from his place on a nearby roof and but Kim was the one who scowled at him irritably.

"You again? What the hell do you want _now_?" she snapped, amber eyes flashing. The three Buggy pirates shied away from her, hiding behind Zoro as if he would protect them from the brunette's ire.

"A moment of your time, my dear," Akane said, sliding off the roof just in time to avoid being blown away by the Buggy ball that shot through the house. Kim yelped and threw her good arm up to protect her face.

"I'm thinking that you'll find Buggy over there," she said shakily, pointing towards where the cannon ball came from. The explosion had woken her up, leaving her without any traces of exhaustion.

Zoro grunted in agreement, pale faced, "If you're not coming, then let me know now." he said, fixing her with an intense look.

Kim bit her lip. Go with Zoro and try to prevent him from getting stabbed or go with the guy who dragged her away from her home world and forced her to join a pirate crew? Decisions, decisions... "I-"

"I wish to speak with you about your brothers." Akane said bluntly, cutting her off and making Kim froze.

Her brothers...

"...I'll meet up with you later." she said finally, her face empty of all emotion. Zoro stared at her a moment longer, searching her face for something, and nodded, walking off towards the origin of destruction.

Once he was gone, Kim turned to Akane.

"Walk with me." he said casually, stuffing his hands into his pockets and strolling away without waiting for Kim. She hurried after him, scowling.

"What's going on with my brothers?" she demanded after a few minutes of silence. Akane looked at her in surprise, as if he had forgotten about her.

"Your brothers..." he hummed, looking up at the sky, "That cloud looks like a butterfly..."

"STOP GETTING DISTRACTED AND TELL ME ALREADY!" Kim shrieked nearly at the top of her lunges, slapping him upside the head with her fist.

Akane grimaced, rubbing at the area where Kim had hit him. "So, impatient!" he huffed, putting some distance between them before stopping. Kim stopped following him, leaving a good foot of space between them. The red head sighed, fixing her with a bored look. "Your brothers fail to take your disappearance well. Your oldest brother has been arrested for battering a police officer when he refused to let him help in the search for you, and the other two are a pair of miserable children."

Kim's shoulders slumped, her expression depressed.

She hated this, hated not being able to see her family, to rid them of the trouble Akane had caused them. She just wanted to go home, dammit! Kim wanted to see Kaine get mad because he couldn't work the microwave. She wanted to listen to Ken whine about how hard it was having curly hair. Kim wanted to joke around with Mike and show her classmates the pictures from his latest photo shoot. The teen wanted to be able to crawl into bed with them when she had a nightmare, just like she did when Kim was a little girl.

Kim wanted the real thing instead of Zoro and Luffy as substitutes. The brunette's shoulders shook from silent sobs, her teeth clenched and eyes wide.

"I will find my way back." Kim said fiercely, her voice thick with emotion and eyes glassy with tears. "I don't care what it takes. Lying, stealing, killing. I'll make it back even if it takes me a hundred years to do it! _I won't let you take away my life!_ " She was screaming by the time she finished her vow, but Akane didn't flinch.

"I believe you." he said simply.

Another sob tore its way from Kim's throat, this one full of anger and hate, she raised her head to snarl at the boy before her, "And when I do, I'll make sure no one ever has to be taken away like I was! If you ever bring someone else into this world, I'll find them and take them back! No one deserves to have their will, their _life_ , snatched away from them!"

Akane smirked, triumph in his eyes, Kim didn't know or care why he looked so pleased with her; at least for now that is.

"That is exactly what I wanted to hear." he said quietly, stepping forward and sweeping her into a hug. Kim stiffened, angry about his completely random affection, hadn't she been yelling at him a second ago? Couldn't he tell that she hated him?! "There are many things that I regret in my life. The thing I regret the most is taking you away from the family that has lost so much. However, it was not my decision to make. I intend to aid you with your Einstein-Rosen Bridge research and keep you alive in this world."

"That's great." Kim said flatly, glaring at a tree from over his shoulder. "Now get the fuck off of me."

Akane laughed and released her, quickly moving away so she couldn't hit him

again, "You are truly amusing, young one. Now, I believe I have a few things for you." he said, rummaging through the backpack he wore. Kim blinked, wondering why she didn't notice it before. Come to think of it, she had never truly looked at Akane other than when he attacked her. Akane looked like an average man aside from his gravity defying hair. Beneath his cloak, he wore a plain white T-shirt and a pair of worn jeans with a few holes in them. The jeans were tucked into a pair of soft-looking black boots that had a few chains hanging from them, matching the black backpack he was currently looking through.

"Huh," she mumbled, amazed that someone so strange could look so normal. Then again, _Luffy_ looked normal and he was anything _but!_

"Found it!" he said triumphantly, pulling two objects out of his backpack and tossing them to Kim.

She caught them awkwardly, "Hey! This is my iPod Touch!" Kim exclaimed, staring at it. "How did you get it? And why does it look so weird?"

The device was barely recognizable with all the strange wires and boxes hooked to it. The only reason Kim knew it was hers was because it had her name on the back in black lettering. She had asked Ken to personalize it for her when she bought it, not wanting to have someone steal it and claim it as theirs if she tried to get it back. Now, however, there was a painting of some strange, silver serpent twirling around the letters. It's yellow eyes stared back at her unblinkingly.

Her iPod had some sort of strange box like thing over where the camera went. The box pulsed beneath her fingers when she touched it and lit up a bright yellow color.

Attached to the box were dozens of tiny wires that connected to the iPod's dock and earphone jack.

Kim hesitantly pressed down on the power button and turned it on. The iPod started up like normal, waiting for her to unlock it and type in her pass-code.

"I got it out of your room. It's been upgraded so that it can work in this world without needing to be charged. However, there's a catch. It can only receive information, not send it out. Also, I downloaded an app that has all the One Piece chapters, so you can stay up to date with that. You might want to watch the filler episodes in case they pop up. This world isn't set strictly to the timeline of the manga or anime and it's quite possible that the two will merge somehow.

"I advise you not to let anyone in this world know about your iPod. It could have disastrous results. And, Kimiya Leonore, it would be most unwise to change too many things that would affect the future. Your presence in this world will have a butterfly effect. It might take some time to become noticeable, but you will eventually see the effects of your actions. Be careful not to change anything too big."

"Like Marineford?" Kim asked dejectedly, put out by the fact she might not be able to save Ace's life.

Akane pointedly avoided looking her in the eyes. "Well," he coughed, toeing the ground like a child beating around the bush. "I might make a few adjustments of my own. I am still working out the bugs..."

"Marineford has to happen, though." Kim frowned, her mind working quickly. "It would be pretty bad if the time skip didn't happen. And if Newgate doesn't die, then Big Mom won't take over Fishman Island. If that doesn't happen, Luffy won't be able to take control of it from her and I don't know what kind of repercussions that might have on this world."

"Exactly." Akane sighed, seeming just as disappointed as Kim felt. The brunette took a step back, unaccustomed to the unusal display of emotion. "I would rather not have people die when I can do something about it. I won't feel too bad about Newgate dying, though. He is an admirable person, but he is quite old and sick. At least, old in your terms. I will try to save the Portgas boy, though."

"Well, let me know what you decided about that." Kim sighed, annoyed by the lack of animosity they were having. She was feeling very bipolar lately. Pissed of like Hell one second and then having a civil conversation with the guy she was angry with the next.

"Aa," Akane made a sound of agreement, "The other thing I gave you is what you would call a familiar." The brunette perked up, an excited grin spreading across her face and making her cheeks ache.

"Really?!" she squealed, stuffing her iPod into her backpack and holding the other object up so that she could get a better look at it.

It appeared to be an egg of some sort with a majority of the shell being a pearly white, and very smooth to the touch. Blue and purple stripes that crisscrossed over its surface felt bumpy under her fingers when she ran them over the egg's surface. The egg itself was smooth and surprisingly pliant, having an almost leathery feel to it. It reminded her of the DigiEgg that came out of Tai and Kari's computer in 'Digimon: The Movie.' It was about the same size too, if not a little bit smaller, able to fit in the crook of her arm with room to spare.

"What is inside the egg is a mystery to me." Akane informed her, looking just as curious as she felt. "It should take about a month or so to hatch. I shall come back to see you when it does. You can email me from your iPod. The information for my communicator is in the contact book." He pulled out a small, phone-like device and showed it to her before putting it away again.

"Kay," Kim said, silently promising to contact him only if he was absolutely needed. Just because she was able to talk to him without killing him didn't mean that she'd voluntarily invite him to hang out with her. Besides, Zoro and Luffy could help her if she needed them, right?

"You might want to consider getting a Den Den Mushi." The image of the transonder snail came to mind and Kim winced at the thought of all the slime a snail could produce. "They are the main form of correspondence in this world. It would be wise to have a way to keep in contact with people."

"I'll think about it," Kim said, annoyed that she might have to buy something else. She wanted to accumulate money, not spend it. She might have to start stealing stuff to pay for clothes and other things. In addition to that, the familiar Akane had given her might require things that cost money. If the egg was large, the baby inside it was sure to be just as big and grow to be even bigger. Big things (and Luffy) needed a lot of food to survive. All her money... down the drain...

"H-hey! Are you alright?" Akane called in alarm.

"It's not worth it..." Kim sobbed, dropping to the ground with a dark cloud of gloom hung over her head, "All my money is going to disappear... so many expenses... it's going to kill me..."

"Oi..." Akane said in exasperation. The only Leonore girl of her generation was already conforming to the dramatics of the One Piece world.

* * *

Kim ended up finding her crewmates half-an-hour later after a rather long search. Akane had left a few minutes after telling her to get a Transponder Snail, promising to bring her back updates on her brothers every once in a while. She guessed that if he was going to bring her news of her brothers, she could stand  
his presence occasionally.

"What happened to you guys?" she asked incredulously, looking around the scene skeptically. An unfamiliar girl stood off to the side, her red hair marking hr as Nami, who looked very pretty in person. She blinked at Kim in surprise as the brunette approached. A few feet away from her, sitting on the steps of a Pet Food store were Zoro, who was bleeding heavily from his left side, and a small white dog that sort of resembled a terrier. A giant iron cage was sitting on its side in front of those steps, Luffy sitting inside and glaring at the little white dog Kim believed to be Shushu.

"Kim!" Luffy cried happily as she approached, pressing his face against the bars on his cage and reaching out towards her, glad to see his missing nakama. Kim smiled at him sweetly and moved forward to hug him around the bars. "Where'd you go?"

"An... acquaintance of mine showed up to give me some information and a couple of things." she sighed, pulling away from him and prodding the cage's lock. "Now you tell me what's been going on. I leave you guys alone for a little while and when I come back you're either stuck in a cage or bleeding." She grimaced as the metallic stink of blood filled her nose.

Zoro scowled at her, one hand on his sluggishly bleeding rib wound, "She got Luffy stuck in a cage." the swordsman grunted, pointing at Nami. Kim smiled at her and waved enthusiastically as Zoro continued, "I got stabbed by that Buggy guy when I was rescuing them. Damn guy's a Devil Fruit user. He can break his body up into pieces so I can't cut him."

"Well, great!" Kim said sarcastically, pulling out one of her hair pins and fiddling with the lock. Kenny had taught her the basics of lock picking since she had a tendency to forget her house keys when she went off somewhere and had to wait around outside the house until someone came home.

_Click~!_

The young woman grinned as the lock gave way under her skills after a few minutes of poking and prodding and a couple of broken hairpins. She tugged on the cage's opening, but it was too heavy for her to lift.

"I can get out by myself," Luffy reassured her, rolling onto his back.

"Alright." she said, moving away from the cage and out of his way. Luffy tensed his legs and stared at the door intently for a moment, then lashed out his rubbery appendages with the force of a small canon. The heavy iron door flew off almost effortlessly. Kim ducked out of the way, grinning appreciatively and shifting the egg in her arms so that she could high-five her captain. "Nice!"

"So, what's up with the egg?" Luffy asked attempting to poke it, making Kim frowned and tried to escape his fingers as she didn't want anyone touching her new baby, at least not yet.

"It was a gift. Who's the red head and the poodle guy?" The young woman asked, ducking under Luffy's arm as he tried to take the egg from her out of curiosity and a need to tease his friend.

"That's Nami, our navigator." Luffy informed her, a step behind the brunette, still reaching for the unborn creature. It looked as if they were doing some kind of strange dance around each other as Luffy kept talking, "The poodle-ossan is Boodle, the chief of the village." Kim glanced over at the old man, surprised by the fact he actually _looked like a poodle!_

"I'm not your navigator, dammit!" Nami shouted, looking extremely irritated but the two seventeen year olds ignored her.

"There's not much of a village to be chief of," Kim commented, kneeling beside Zoro, her body curled in over the egg. Luffy frowned and prodded at her ribs, causing her to giggle. The rubber boy took advantage of the opening and swiped the egg from her grasp. "Hey!"

"What's in it?" Luffy asked curiously, running his fingers over the stripes. "Can we eat it?"

"No!" Kim shouted, snatching the egg back from him. She pouted at him. "My baby."

Luffy looked disappointed at the loss of a potential meal but left her alone.

"What kind of animal's in it?" Zoro grunted, pale faced and panting. Kim felt a stab of guilt about goofing off while he was slowly bleeding out.

"Dunno. It won't hatch for another month." she shrugged, carefully pulling the bloody shirt away from his ribs. The sticky-sweet stench of fresh blood filled her nose and she felt a stab of panic, her mind plunging back to the time she had been shot in Shells City, her arm gushing blood and feeling so ( _so painful and oh God she was going to bleed to death before going home and she didn't want to die again, not again, she didn't want to go back to the white space ever ever ever again; not where everything was white, white and empty and **dead** and oh God her arm hurt!) –_

"Kim!" she heard someone cry out in alarm, and she jolted back to reality, her breathing difficult and shallow. She stared at the tan hand clamped around her wrist and realized dully that her finger nails were digging into the bandages on her forearm, leaving bloody gouges. Kim yanked her hand away hastily and wiped the mixture of Zoro's blood and her own onto the ground almost obsessively, desperate to get that damn blood off her fingers.

"We need to take your shirt off so we can bandage you." She murmured, avoiding her crewmates' eyes.

She set the egg down beside her and carefully cut off Zoro's shirt, trying not to put too much strain on his ribs. She took a second to admire his bare torso before turning to Boodle.

"I'll get a first aid kit for you." The old mayor said, knowing what was needed.

Kim smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks," she murmured, taking the box from him when he returned and opening it. Luffy flopped down beside her and picked the egg up. Nami eyed them warily as she leaned against a nearby building.

"What are you going to name the mystery-baby?" the rubber man asked curiously, holding it up to the sun and squinting. He could sort of see through the shell, but whatever was inside of it didn't have any definite traits that would make it recognizable.

"I don't know." Kim sighed as she disinfected Zoro's wounds with some alcohol and cotton swabs. The swordsman growled in pain from both the alcohol and when she accidently pressed too hard on his ribs, her hands unsteady from remembering what happened in Shells City. She glanced up at Zoro apologetically. "Sorry. I guess I'll name it when it hatches, seeing something first usually helps with naming stuff."

"Oh," Luffy hummed, setting the egg back down. He looked at the little white dog sitting in front of a pet food store curiously. "Hey, ossan! Is that dog's name Shushu? That's what you called him, right?"

Kim tuned them out as she wrapped the bandages around Zoro's chest, already familiar with Shushu's story. It was like the story of Hachi (she thought that was the dog's name). After the master died, the dog would spend all his time waiting at a train station for him to come home, be it rain or snow. Shushu was pretty much doing the same thing, but sitting in front of his master's store instead of at a train station. Kim wasn't too concerned with the specifics of the story, seeing as she was carefully threading a needle and thread through Zoro's open wound, the swordsman barely even flinching at the pain.

"This isn't necessary." Zoro sighed, trying to push her away. "I just need a nap and I'll be alright."

"Idiot," Kim snorted, reaching out and slapping the side of his head. "If this isn't treated, then it'll cause you pain and be a burden on us. You don't want that happening, do you? And what about being the World's Greatest Swordsman? How the hell do expect to reach that goal if you're dead from blood loss or an infection for that matter?"

Oh, she was so going to Hell for being a manipulative bitch. It was worth it though, if she could scold the "demon" of the East Blue and make him see sense.

Zoro shut up quickly, but didn't seem too happy about it. Kim had poked and prodded in all the right places to make him stop arguing. "Gaki," the swordsman snapped at her, as close to pouting as he would ever get. The brunette scowled at being called a brat (or at least, that's what she though _gaki_ meant.

"But I'm not the one bleeding out of the gut, am I?" Kim sneered, wanting the last word. She ignored his spluttering and turned to Boodle. "Hey, ossan! Do you have anywhere we can put him?"

"Sure," the old man agreed, putting Shushu's story on pause and helping her carry/drag Zoro away. Before they left, Kim shoved her egg into Nami's arms ("That's my treasure. Don't let it get hurt. I'm Kim by the way, welcome to the crew."), "He can stay in my house. You can stay with him if you want."

"Thanks, but I thought that I might go look for some food. We haven't had a decent meal in weeks." Kim said wearily, allowing Boodle and Luffy to carry Zoro into Boodle's house.

"You're welcome to whatever's in my fridge." Boodle offered, grunting as they heaved Zoro into his bed. The swordsman groaned in pain and moved until he was in a comfortable position.

"Thank you," Kim grinned, following him back downstairs and into the kitchen. She was definitely going to take the chance to relax before they had to fight Buggy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Kim's starting to face the side effects of being in the OP world already and it's not just emotional. This story does have some realistic elements to it. Kim's not just going to go through being shot and whatever else happens to her without having scars, both mental and \physical. And it'll only get worse for her as time goes on. This story isn't just adventure and fighting. I like morbid stories, if that's not evident already, and getting into a person's head to see what makes them tick. This story isn't any different and I'm going to try and balance everything.


	12. Groceries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim goes grocery shopping and finds something rather unpleasant in the store.

Zoro was the first one to wake up, with the sense of impending danger had buzzed through his brain and set his survival instincts on overdrive. He had just enough time to grab Kim– who was sleeping in the armchair near his bed, and throw them down to the floor before the world exploded around them.

Okay, it was actually the house that exploded, but at the time it seemed like the world was being destroyed around them. The man held the golden eyed girl down as she woke with a shriek, flinging her arms around his neck and holding on for dear life. Kim ignored the burning in her left forearm and buried her face in Zoro's bare shoulder, coughing as the dust and smoke from the explosion seemed to cloud her lungs.

"ZORO! KIM!" Luffy's voice bellowed as the smoke began to clear.

"Get up, Leonore." Zoro grunted, prying the brunette off of him and pulling her to her feet. Kim stumbled slightly before catching her balance. Her eyes and throat burned from all the damage the smoke was doing to them. The swordsman beside her didn't even seem affected by it all, easily picking his way through the rubble that was once Boodle's house.

"W-wait for me!" Kim coughed, having significantly more trouble escaping the wreckage than Zoro was. Thankfully, Luffy took pity on her and hauled the brunette out of it with his elastic arms. "What just happened?"

The seventeen year old girl's head was still muddled from sleep and shock, the explosion putting a strain on her thinking and short term memories. Kim knew that the house exploding had something to do with Buggy, but that was about as far as her memory went.

"A Buggy ball just went through the building!" Nami cried, her arms wrapped around tightly around the egg Kim left with her. "How are you two still alive?!"

"Zoro," Kim answered absentmindedly, pointing at the shirtless man.

"Will power." Zoro grunted. He rubbed a hand over his face, looking extremely disgruntled as he glared at the wreckage. "Man, that's got to be the worst way to wake someone up."

"At least you're not dead!" Luffy laughed, releasing his brown haired friend. Kim yawned and stumbled over to Nami so she could reclaim her egg.

"Thanks for watching it for me." The younger girl smiled, cuddling the striped egg with a goofy smile. She had a big spot for animals, even if she didn't know what they were. Everything was cuddly in her eyes. She snapped out of her silly thoughts as the mayor began shouting about the injustice of his situation.

He refused to let Buggy's rampage go on for any longer and decided to stand up and stop the clown from destroying his treasure (a.k.a. the village). By the end of his enraged speech, the chief was in tears, and just like in the manga and the anime, Nami was so shocked by this that she stopped trying to hold him back, watching dumbly as he ran off towards where Buggy and his crew were gathered. When she commented on it, Luffy shoved his hands into his pockets and smirked.

It was scary to see such an expression on his face.

"What are you talking about?" he asked their navigator. "I didn't see anything."

"For some reason, this is starting to feel kind of fun..." Zoro snorted, slouching against the side of a nearby building.

"I get the feeling that it's just going to get better as time goes by." Kim laughed softly, putting her egg into her backpack and stretching out methodically. It wouldn't be alright if she pulled a muscle while fighting. That is, if there was anyone to fight.

"Ditto!" Luffy laughed more freely, starting the walk towards Buggy's current stronghold.

"How can you laugh about this?!" Nami cried incredulously, wondering if everyone in this pirate crew was insane.

"Don't worry about it!" the dark haired boy grinned, pausing in his walk. "I like that ossan! I won't let him die."

"How can you be so lighthearted?!" Nami demanded again, looking extremely irritated with the trio of pirates.

Luffy ignored her completely, turning to Kim instead. "You sit this one out!" he ordered, startling everyone.

"Eh?!" Kim cried, feeling incredibly lost by his order. "Why?"

"We're going to need food right? I'm counting on you to get it to the boats before we leave!"

Kim faltered slightly, seeing the reasoning in his commands. When Akane said this world differed from canon, did he mean the personalities too? Or was it just that Luffy had been a little smarter before the crew headed into the Grandline and was showing it now?

"Fine," she signed resignedly. Hopefully she wouldn't miss out on all the fights in the future (or become the one who got charged with stocking up on stuff. They'd all die if she was given that job. Kim burned water.). "But I'm coming back here once I'm finished!"

Luffy gave her a satisfied smile and turned to Nami, ready to make a deal with her, one that would lead to her joining the crew!

Kim sighed in frustration and slight relief (at least she wouldn't have to fight Buggy, but what if something changed?!) and set off down the street in search of a grocery store. She doubted she would find much in there, seeing as the village had been abandoned for some time, but there were bound to be dried foods and maybe some preservatives in there.

When she finally found one, she was pleased to see that it escaped most of the damage Buggy had done to the town and she entered it with a big smile. However, the smile melted off her face quickly when she saw the state of the place.

What little Buggy and his men hadn't stolen was left to rot, filling the place with flies and a rotten scent that made her gag. She stepped back out into the street for a minute to catch a breath of fresh air before heading back in, covering her nose. Unfortunately, it didn't completely block the smell, but it was enough for her to walk around without her gag reflex kicking in every five seconds.

In the end, she managed to find a few jars of dried nuts and some bags from a freezer in the back. It was mostly frozen chickens and hams, but it would be enough for the four of them until they made it to Gaimon's island or Syrup Village, depending on if this world followed the manga or anime. Kim thought that it might be primarily manga based, since she had gotten shot in Coby's place (he was shot in the manga, not the anime), but if this world was some strange mixture of the two, she couldn't be sure what would happen next. She just hoped they didn't go through two many filler arcs if any at all. She read the manga and only watched the first season of the cartoon and the movies. Fillers were going to be a problem.

"Oh, god!" she cried in horror, slapping her free hand to her face. "What if Strong World happens here? I'm going to die! Or Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island? I don't want to be eaten by a mutant flower!"

Her wails filled the street as she lamented the possibility of being inserted in her favorite One Piece movies. Just because she liked them best did _not_ mean that she wanted to be in them. Any of the other movies were fine except for those two. She liked them because they freaked her out and impressed her at the same time, but everyone except for Luffy nearly _died_ in the Baron movie! Kim didn't want to fight Shiki either! He scared her!

"This world is going to kill me!" she moaned, attempting to take the newly found food to the boat. She attempted this for fifteen more minutes before becoming too irritated by the weight and immobility problem that the food presented. The brunette gave a small scream of frustration and threw herself down next to the pile.

"Next time Luffy can go get the damn food himself!" she seethed.

Kim sat there for a while, trying to calm herself down enough to give moving the food another try. She propped her chin up on the palm of her hand and let her eyes wander lazily around the street.

_Ding~!_

"A cart!" she cried, spotting one not fifteen feet away. The brunette ran over to it and looked over it quickly, finding nothing wrong with it. It was a little big bigger than the grocery buggies back home, but that was just a bonus. Kim grinned and pushed it over to the store, loading it quickly with the food she had found in the store. After she had run out of room in that buggy, she began searching around the surrounding stores for other carts to help her with supply gathering. When she found them, she loaded them as best she could, running into a bit of trouble in lifting some barrels and trying to figure out what the small machine she found around the water barrels were. She loaded it into the buggy just to be careful, seeing as it looked rather important and she didn't want to leave anything they might need behind.

Twenty or so minutes later and the familiar feeling of grocery shopping, Kim made her way down to the docks, three carts filled to the brim with supplies accompanying her. However, it wasn't exactly easy getting them down to the boat. She kept running into ruts in the ground and when that happened, things liked to tip over and threaten to fall out. There had been a particularly dangerous moment when one of the larger water barrels had tipped over and almost sent the buggy tumbling into the street. Kim had struggled with the barrel for a while, trying to readjust it without pushing it over the _other_ side of the buggy.

Despite that, she was in a good mood as she finally got to the docks, practically skipping as she tugged the last cart to the boat.

"I'm so smart! Who's smart? I am~!" she sang as she slowed down, pushing the buggy into place beside the other two.

"You again!" shouted the three Buggy pirates from earlier that day, rushing over to the young woman with angry expressions.

"Oh, you guys." She said flatly, glaring at them. "I don't have time for this. Help me put these groceries in the boat."

The three men scowled at her and drew their weapons.

"I don't think so," the leader of the three snapped, pointed her sword at her throat. "Now that you're by yourself, you don't stand a chance against the Buggy pirates!"

Kim frowned at the trio of men, who were moving toward her with their weapons drawn. The brunette backed up slowly, moving towards the buggy that had sacks of flour in it.

"You know," Kim began conversationally, groping around behind her for one of the bags. Her gaze moved off of the Buggy Pirates for a moment to see if the rope was tied to anything. ' _If you're outnumbered or hurt, use your surroundings to save your ass,'_ her brother had always said. At least, he started saying that when it became apparent Kim was faster than she was strong. "I don't think my friend would be very happy if anything happened to me. He might kill you. I wouldn't put it past him. He _is_ a demon, right? And then there's the matter of my captain, who is even _stronger_ than Zoro. And my captain hates it when people touch his nakama. He might do worse than kill you..."

Her fingers found the bag and she grasped it firmly, ready to swing the flour

around and into their faces if they didn't heed her threats. Kim was well versed in threatening people. Back home, she could make men flee in terror with just a mention of her older brother, who was insanely protective and lacking in boundaries. Perhaps it was a cowardly thing to do (Kim was reminded of Usopp's 'threats' of 'eighty-million subordinates') but it usually worked, and seemed to be working at the moment.

The Buggy Pirates froze, exchanging nervous looks. Risking their lives over something like helping a lady with the groceries was ridiculous. They didn't need to get killed over that, right? Not if the girl was going to go crying to the men on her crew over it. Suddenly, the trio was feeling very generous. It also helped immensely that the men were still sporting the marks from the beating Zoro had initially given them, as well as the memory of that being fresh.

"I'm so sorry ma'am." The trio's leader apologized nervously, shooing her away from the crates and directing his friends to go about putting them in the boats. "What were we thinking threatening such a delicate thing like you? Ehehehe, you won't tell your captain or the Pirate Hunter about this, right? No hard feelings?"

Kim raised an eyebrow at the man, but went with it, releasing the bag of flour and sitting down on one of the larger crates to supervise the men on where the crates and barrels went. It was a bit strange to have people doing her work for her (usually people just ran away or left her alone after she made a threat), but nice.

Almost like being a princess or a captain.

Maybe she should have started her own pirate crew instead of listening to Akane. It was great being in charge.

Kim was in the middle of arguing with the trio's leader about where one of the barrels went when she heard her name being called, well, screamed.

"KIIIM!"

Said brunette glanced away from the boats in surprise, the three Buggy pirates she was ordering around also stopping to stare. Luffy waved a large bag of treasure at her cheerfully, a bleeding, unconscious Zoro tucked under his other arm. Luffy was leaning to one side, bowed under Zoro's dead weight. Nami was right behind him, clutching her own bag of money and panting as she tried to keep up with the rubber man.

"You again!" the Buggy pirates screeched upon seeing the red head. They dropped the bags they were about to load into the boat and pulled their swords out, again, glaring at Nami. "We'll get you back for stealing our boat! What's this? This guy passed out from just being in our presence! How weak."

The trio's leader roughly prodded Zoro's head, making the injured swordsman wake up and glare at them viciously, the effect only increased by the blood soaked haramaki he wore. The Buggy pirates flinched back, still frightened by Zoro, and took off running, not wanting to face his wrath once more.

Kim slapped a hand to her face, embarrassed by the pirates' stupidity. You would think that they would recognize someone with bright green hair. Really, even that was uncommon in the One Piece world.

"Kim, what are you doing?" Luffy asked he and Zoro passed her on the dock. Nami bypassed all three of them and climbed into the slightly larger boat next to theirs, paying no attention to the Jolly Roger painted on the sail. That must have been the boat she stole from the Buggy pirates.

"Nothing." The brunette mumbled, still questioning how some people could be so _stupid_. Kim turned and climbed in the boat after Luffy, nearly tripping over Zoro, who was sprawled out on the bottom of the boat. "Ew, you're bleeding everywhere. Do we have anymore bandages? I don't want to be covered in someone else's blood..."

Nami grimaced at that and tossed Kim a thick roll of gauze as well as a small first aid kit, "I found that on the boat earlier. We're lucky it had it."

"You can say that again." Kim scoffed, making Zoro pull his haramaki off. The brunette grimaced at the shredded and nasty clothing and tossed it over the side of the boat.

"HEY!" Zoro snapped, trying to fish it out of the water. "What the hell did you do that for?!"

"It's nasty and I'd rather have you go without than wear it. If it'll make you feel better I'll buy you a new one at the next store we visit. Besides, you have three more in your bag! I'll get you a _clean one_ after I finish bandaging you up. Hell, I'll buy you a whole new wardrobe if it'll make you happy. Until then you can quit your whining and wear my pajama shirt, it should be big enough to fit even you." The young woman fished around her backpack and pulled out a long black T-shirt that was more of a dress on her than anything. Kim set it to the side and opened the first aid kit, going to work on redressing Zoro's wound.

"WAIT!" a voice called from the dock they had just left, Luffy clumsily following Nami out into the ocean. "You damn brats! Thank you!" Kim blinked at Boodle as he waved at them, watching curiously as the rest of the villagers flooded onto the docks after him, Shushu trotting after them and barking.

"You guys sure do draw crowds, don't you?" Kim shook her head and went back to bandaging Zoro.

"Shishishi, yeah!" Luffy laughed, waving back at Boodle and Shushu.

"Wait a minute..." Nami said suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at the single bag of treasure on her boat. "You idiot! You left my treasure on the dock!"

"Of course I did." Luffy frowned, crossing his arms and looking at Nami in confusion. "They're going to need that money to fix their village."

"But it was mine!" Nami screeched.

"Then go back and get it." Luffy jerked his thumb back to land.

"I can't do that now, you dumbass!" Nami leaned forward over the small gap between their boats and grabbed Luffy by his neck, attempting to force the rubber man's head down into the water. "If you ever do that again I'll kill you!"

"Aaagh! Nami! Quit it! I can't swim!"

"That's the point!"

Zoro laughed at the younger teens, shifting so that he could sit up and watch as Nami tried to drown Luffy. After one particularly close call that would have sent Luffy into the water, Kim intervened in a panic, dragging her precious captain away from Nami and fending off the ginger as she tried to get at the rubber man.

Loud squeals and shrieks filled the air, laughter joining them as Luffy turned avoiding Nami into a game, dragging Kim up the mast or their original boat to avoid the navigator and dodging the things she threw at them.

"Get back here!"

"Shishishi! Her face matches her hair!"

"Oh god, it does!" Kim burst into laughter, starting to enjoy the game.

Yeah, she _really_ loved being a pirate, one of Luffy's pirates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the Buggy Arc is finished quickly because I hate it. With a passion.


	13. Wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim reflects on her journey so far.

Kim shivered as the night's chill started seeping in through her thin clothes. The brunette pulled her cloak around her more tightly and struggled to see into the darkness. She didn't like it when night fell in this world; it was too dark and too quiet. Kim couldn't sleep without the sounds of the city and the glow of streetlights filtering in through her bedroom window.

The brunette shivered again and leaned up against Luffy, who was propped up against a barrel and snoring lightly. Kim welcomed the noise, and the warmth radiating from her captain. It was strange, finding comfort in such little things like snoring and body heat. Kim had never been the sentimental type, or incredibly emotional like she had been lately. This damn world was messing with her head... and her heart if she was being honest.

She was getting attached to the crew, Luffy and Zoro the most in a purely, "oh god you're funny and adorable and why can't you stop reminding me of people I might never see again" way. It worried her. She didn't want to have to choose between her family and the people she had began to think of as friends. Hell, who was she kidding? She already thought of Luffy and Zoro as her friends, hovering between the line of good friends and nakama. If she began to think of them as nakama, leaving them would be nearly impossible.

Kim's brow furrowed and she stared off into the night blankly, trying to clear her mind. Her decision to stay or leave was one she intended to put off until she was forced to choose. It wasn't something she wanted to think about as it only stressed her out. Kim didn't need to be anymore stressed out than she already was.

It was putting a strain on her body that she had never experienced before. Her body wasn't accustomed to the sleepless nights she had been having lately or the lack of food they had suffered through for a few weeks. She had lost a great deal of weight since coming to the One Piece world and while she was alright with losing a couple of excess pounds, she didn't like the fact that her clothes had become loose on her and she looked disturbingly skinny now. Skinny wasn't a term Kim liked to hear. When she thought 'skinny' she thought of her ribs showing and sunken cheeks, so she did not like applying the word skinny to herself.

At least she didn't have to worry about her time of the month. Kim had worried at first, thinking that there was something wrong with her, and panicked over the fact her body wasn't acting like it normally did. However, once she had calmed down enough to actually think, she remembered all those awful classes she had been forced to sit through in middle school where everyone was horribly awkward and mean to each other (people said high school was hell on earth, but Kim disagreed. High school was Heaven compared to Middle School. In middle school, everyone was hitting puberty and entering a stage of "I'm not going to listen to anyone because I'm thirteen years old and know what's best for me and I'll smoke all the Smarties I want to thank you very much").

Kim didn't think she'd ever look like she had before coming to the One Piece world, or ever feel the same. She hadn't been here for long, a month and a half at the most, but that time had been spent under stress and almost starvation (malnourishment at best because going for days on end without food was **not** healthy). She had changed and even matured a little. In fact Kim was certain she would never be the same, never look exactly the same as she had scars to provide the difference to that.

She brushed her fingers over the bandage on her arm, surprised when she didn't feel the stab of pain that usually came with something touching it. Kim unwrapped the bandages around the bullet wound quickly, concerned about the state of her arm.

A smooth new scar covered her forearm, the patch of skin was shiny and pale compared to the surrounding area. Kim ran her fingers over it lightly and a shivered in discomfort. The scar was incredibly sensitive and she flinched away from the contact.

The fact her arm had healed was good, however, unsettling as well.

Her arm was supposed to take at least one more week before a scar formed. It was as if the healing had accelerated. Now that she thought about it, her arm didn't hurt as much as if had before the Buggy Arc shifted into play and had stopped twinging sometime during it. The whole thing was rather frightening. Kim could trust herself if nothing else, and the fact that her body was acting strangely was unsettling. She slid her sleeve back over her arm and shivered at the thought of her body changing on her.

"Kim," a sleepy voice breathed in her ear, taking Kim by surprise and making her shiver as warm air fanned over the back of her neck. "If you're cold, then share a blanket with somebody. All that shivering woke me up."

"Sorry Luffy," Kim sighed, turning to look at her captain.

Luffy stared back at her intently, his blanket sliding off his shoulders, It's fine. You should go to sleep. I'll stay awake and take the night watch." The rubber man smiled, the moonlight reflecting off of his teeth. Kim hesitated and pulled off her cloak and traded it for the blanket Luffy was offering her.

"Thanks," she murmured as she wrapped it around her, leaning back against Luffy once more. The boy's smile widened and he pulled Kim's cloak on, the garment fitting him better than it did Kim.

"Get some sleep Kim, you look like you need it." Luffy said draping an arm over her shoulders. Kim tensed and shifted awkwardly under the warmth, trying not to breathe in the smell Luffy radiated. It was a mix of barbeque and something unmistakably Luffy, Kim wasn't sure if she liked it or not.

She gradually drifted off to sleep, fingers fisted in the fuzz on his shorts and her face buried in the crook of his neck.

Attached indeed...

* * *

"Oh my god! Luffy, get off!" Kim growled as Luffy flopped on her again. The rubberman just whined and rolled further onto her lap, knocking the logbook into the floor of the boat.

"But Kiiiim!" Luffy whined. "I'm bored!"

"Then go bug Zoro. Or better yet, bug Nami. She hasn't been subjected to twenty questions yet, has she?"

"She told me that she'd toss me overboard if I tried to talk to her." Luffy shot back dejectedly.

Kim huffed at him and tried to think of something else the rubberman could do instead of aggravating her to death.

"Okay then, how about... Oh! I've got it!" Kim pulled out her iPod, ignoring Akane's warnings, and went to her videos. She had the perfect thing to get Luffy's attention. "Here, watch this. It's an anime called Naruto. I think you'll like it."

Luffy blinked at her before accepting the device.

Kim gave him a few instructions on how to handle it before she picked up the logbook and continued recounting their adventures in Orange Town, making sure to get the others' accounts on Buggy and his crew.

When she was finally finished, she closed the leather bound journal with a thud and smiled to herself. Only a few more arcs to go and they were headed for the Grandline. Maybe then she could get some ideas on how to get home there, or at least on how to collect enough dark energy for a wormhole.

There was an annoyed sound from Kim's left and she looked over to see Nami fuming from her boat.

 _Well, looks like the next arc is about to start._ Kim thought, watching the red head glance around at the rest of the crew in frustration. Finally, Nami's temper blew.

"There is no way we're going to make it to the Grandline like this!" the navigator cried.

Luffy jumped in shock and looked up at Nami. Kim quickly reached over and paused Naruto for him. Zoro cracked open an eye to stare at Nami.

Luffy frowned at her, brow furrowed in concentration. He was obviously thinking… and it was just as obvious that thinking hurt him.

Kim patted the rubberman on the head and offered him an apple. Luffy's face lit up.

"Oh! I see what you mean, Nami! We're gonna need a lot more meat. Eating fruit all day is for the birds!"

"Don't forget about booze." Zoro laughed.

Nami fumed at him and chucked a rather large apple at his head. The apple bounced off and Luffy caught it just before it hit the water. Kim stifled a giggle.

"You guys are such boneheads!" Nami scoffed. "You know that's not what I meant. The Grandline's dangerous. It'll take more that bear and meat to survive there! Besides, that place is full of bigger and badder pirates there who are also after the One Piece, and they have better ships than we do!"

Kim rolled her eyes at Nami's (rather sensible) rant and mimed the red head mockingly, getting a laugh from Zoro. She also got an apple to the head, courtesy of Nami.

"We don't have a crew either," Luffy said thoughtfully while Kim glared at Nami.

"Exactly!" Nami emphasized. "We don't have a crew, a ship, or the supplies we need to make it on the most dangerous sea in the world!"

"Yep." Luffy continued for he happily, munching on his apple. "We'll need a cook for sure. Oh! And a musician to keep us entertained!"

"I want a blond cook and a musician with an afro, just so you guys know." Kim threw in, grinning at the prospect of Sanji and Brooke joining. She loved all the Strawhats, but Sanji and Brooke had a special charm to them.

Zoro laughed at the pair of seventeen year olds.

Nami just sighed. "You're all so _stupid_. Anyways, a little to the south of here is an island with some settlements on it. Maybe we can get a ship and the supplies we need there."

"Sounds fun." Kim laughed, a sense of excitement settling in her stomach.

"Let's go!" Luffy shouted, throwing his arms up.

The rest of the crew cheered with him.


	14. The Pirate's Son

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Usopp falls into the StrawHats' lives. Quite literally.

When they finally landed on the slope, the boys leapt out, stretching their limbs happily. The girls followed at a more leisurely pace, stretching slowly as they took in their surroundings.

They had landed the boats on a small, rocky beach surrounded by sheer cliff on either side. The only way to the island itself was a steep slope.

"It feels good to be on land again!" Zoro exclaimed, groaning in pleasure as his back gave a satisfying 'pop!'

Kim wince at the sound and stumbled up the slope. "My legs feel like jelly!" she moaned, disliking the rubbery feeling.

"There's a village near here, right Nami?" Luffy asked, his usual grin stretching across his face.

"Yeah. Looks like a small one though." Nami answered after checking her map.

"Great! Where there's a village, then there's meat! Meat! Meat! Meat!" Luffy chanted, drooling a bit.

"Can't you just forget about meat for a minute?"

While Nami and Luffy bickered, Kim trudged up to where Zoro was still stretching.

The green haired swordsman acknowledged her with a glance before turning his gaze to the cliff top. The bushes rustled a bit too loudly.

"Careful," he said lowly, unsheathing his sword slightly. "We're being watched."

Luffy seemed excited by that, glancing around eagerly. "Where? Do they have meat? Come on Zoro! Tell me!"

Zoro turned quickly. "Look out!"

A sudden barrage of shots rained down upon them. Luffy yelled in surprise as his feet were pelted, angry red welts rising from the points of contact. Kim ducked behind Zoro and watched her captain howl and hop frantically to avoid the painful shots. Zoro was deflecting the shots expertly with one of his katana while Nami hid in her boat. Dozens of generic looking pirate flags sprung up from the bushes on the cliff-top.

"Awesome!" Luffy hollered, still dancing in place.

"Are we supposed to be impressed by that?" Nami scoffed, glaring up at the cliff-top.

Kim followed the others' gazes and found herself staring at Usopp... Who was laughing a bit insanely (and rather cute if Kim was being honest).

Kim listened idly as the sharpshooter went on his rant about being the leader of the island blah blah blah 80,000 men blah blah flee if you want to live blah my girlfriend is an incredibly beautiful millionaire...

Okay, that last part was something she added on in her head but it was as close to the truth as it could get.

Luffy was having a bit of an overload of Usopp's 'awesomeness,' earning himself a weird look from Zoro.

Nami, on the other hand, called Usopp's bluff, causing the teen to have a major panic attack. The two bickered back and forth for a moment until it eventually ended with Nami getting the better of Usopp and the younger teen managed to do some strange wiggling dance (which was scarily reminiscent of Sanji's Ladies Dance).

Luffy seemed a bit offended by Usopp's lie and demanded an explanation. "What? He's lying?!"

"Curse you, crafty woman! I may have exaggerated a bit, but I have a great many men under my control!" Usopp hollered, regaining some of his stride. However, from the way his knees were knocking together, it was rather obvious how nervous he was.

"More like a couple of little kids!" Kim shot back, feeling slightly satisfied by the panicked expression on the curly haired teen's face. Usopp's crew, three little boys around eight years old, screamed at the shock of being discovered and quickly fled back to the village, abandoning their captain without a second thought.

"Where are you going?!" Usopp shouted after them, paling rapidly. "Come back!"

While he freaked out, Nami moved away from the boats to examine the ammo Usopp had fired down upon them. "A pirate using a slingshot? Well, now I've seen it all." The red head blew off the sand on one of the "bullets" (a small, metal ball about the size of a thumbnail) and grinned.

"That's pretty cool!" Luffy exclaimed, laughing in his usual manner.

Unfortunately, Usopp took his laughter the wrong way and the long nosed teen's face grew red with anger.

"Shut your mouth or else I'll shut it for you!" he bellowed. "I'm a very proud man and I refuse to be laughed at. Around here, I'm known as Honorable Usopp, so don't you dare step on that title! Got it?!" Usopp aimed his slingshot at Luffy, eyes full of an angry fire.

The captain of the Straw Hats frowned and lowered his signature hat over his eyes, hiding his expression from the others. Zoro and Kim exchanged a look over his head. Zoro's eyes betrayed curiosity at what Luffy would do next and Kim smirked and inclined her head slightly, silently telling the swordsman to wait and see.

"Now that you've drawn your pistol," Luffy began, "are you willing... to use it?" The brim of his hat raised just high enough for everyone to see the smirk on his lips.

Nami watched him with wide eyes.

"Huh?" Usopp mumbled, lowering his slingshot slightly.

"Guns aren't for threats, they're for actions! Are you willing to risk your life?" Luffy raised his head completely, meeting Usopp's eyes dead on. The curly haired boy shivered in fright and Kim felt an odd feeling ripple through her, making the hair on her arms rise up. She glanced over at Luffy, surprised to find the odd feeling coming from his direction.

_What was that?_

Zoro smirked and unsheathed the Wado a bit, tilting his head to look more threatening (not that it was a difficult task for the swordsman).

"He's right you know," Zoro began.

"We are pirates," Kim continued for him, shaking off the sense of unease and getting into the act.

"We don't take threats lightly, so consider your next move carefully..." Zoro finished, an evil grin on his face. Kim smirked and crossed her arms.

Usopp held strong for a moment longer, and then faltered, arms falling to his sides. "Man, real pirates can back up their words. That's so cool." The teen flopped down on his butt and looked down at the small pirate crew in awe.

The trio of intimidators held their tough facade for a bit longer and then burst out laughing once they caught sight of each other. Luffy draped himself over Zoro's shoulder, the two of them shaking in mirth, and Kim fought to lessen the large smile on her face unsuccessfully.

"I stole that line." Luffy admitted, still wrapping himself further around Zoro and subtly poking the swordsman in the ribs (avoiding the still-sore stab wound) every time he came close to taming his laughter. Kim giggled and watched as Zoro's face steadily continued to grow redder.

 _This is different from the manga and the anime,_ she marveled, wondering how the fans would have reacted from seeing the two boys interact like such.

"What?" Usopp asked, leaning over the cliff to get a better look at them.

"I stole that line from Red Haired Shanks!" Luffy explained, grinning up at Usopp. Beneath him, Zoro looked ready to fall over.

"What? No way! You know **the** Red Haired Shanks?" Usopp cried in disbelief.

"That's right! And I know you too! You're Yasopp's son, right?"

"Yeah... but how do you know my dad?" Usopp asked uncertainly, looking a bit conflicted by the mention of his father.

Kim pitied him in that moment. _It had to be hard_ , she thought, _having a father you never see, and then having someone mention knowing him so casually._

Luffy grinned. "I'll tell you... if you tell me where I can get some meat!"

Nami groaned. "Why does he only think about his stomach?"

"Are you kidding me?" Kim laughed. "It's Luffy! The only things he thinks about are food and being the Pirate King!"

Zoro snorted and shrugged. "She's right."

Nami groaned again. "What is wrong with these people?"


	15. Out to Lunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Small talk and lunch is made.

By the time the group made it to town, it was noon and the little village was bustling. All of Kim's pre-conceived ideas about it being a sleepy place were put to rest by the amount of activity going around. People ran in and out of shops, some eating their lunch as they went, and a loud chatter filled the air around them as they made their way through the village.

Usopp led them into a little restaurant called Meshi and, once they were all settled and into their meals, picked up the conversation that had gotten cut short at the beach.

"So, you really knew my dad?" the curly haired boy asked around a mouthful of meat, looking as hopeful as a child on Christmas.

"That's right," Luffy agreed as he gorged himself. "When I knew him, he was on Shanks' crew, so they must've been good friends!"

Usopp looked awe-struck. "I can hardly believe it! My old man, sailing with famous pirates and friend of Red Haired Shanks."

"I haven't heard from them in a while, but I'm sure he's still sailing with them. If I had him on my crew, there's no way I'd let him go! He was one heck of a sharpshooter..." Luffy trailed off into a story of Yasopp's adventures in Fuusha Village.

Kim listened in for a moment then looked away. Usopp's wistful expression hit an odd chord in her.

Whatever Usopp felt about his father and his leaving couldn't have been all good, even if he claimed to admire him for following his dreams. Kim respected his wish to keep the good things about his father at the forefront of his mind, but it also made her wonder about how her brothers were feeling about her. Did they think she has abandoned them? What if they did think that? Then how did they feel toward her? When she returned home (and she would), would they rush to embrace her, or would they hate her for leaving them?

No, her brothers weren't like that. They loved her above all else, just as she loved them, and they would let her explain what had happened to her and then she'd cry and they would cry too before everything went back to normal where Kim was a normal teenager that just happened to avoid red heads and Axel cosplayers more often than not. Yes, in the end, that's exactly what would - _will_ \- happen once she goes home.

"Kim," Zoro called quietly, pulling the brunette out of her thoughts. She turned her eyes on the swordsman. "You alright? You're being kind of quiet over there…"

Kim glanced over at the others to see if they'd noticed as well (they hadn't) and then shrugged at Zoro.

"Just thinking too hard, I guess." She said, pasting a smile on her face in the hopes of satisfying the swordsman's curiosity (she had used the same move on Kaine when she didn't want to talk, so it could work on Zoro as well; Ken though, could see through the smile without even trying and always managed to get what was bothering her out in the open). She felt a surge of relief flood through her when Zoro turned back to the conversation between the other boys.

Kim let out a near silent sigh of relief and turned toward Luffy and Usopp, trying to follow their conversation. Luffy had just finished telling Usopp about Yasopp, so she hadn't been out of the conversation for too long. She'd have to be more careful in the future about who she spaced out around. Zoro had nearly caught onto her distress then and, if Luffy was as much like Ken as she thought, the captain would catch onto her feelings with ease… and that wouldn't be good for Kim. If one part of her act failed, then the rest would eventually fall apart as well and, right now, that act – the one where she pretended everything was fine and she was fine and she didn't have a problem with being out at sea – was all she had left to hold onto.

Kim flinched at the thought and tried to distract herself by tuning back into the conversation at hand.

"He'd go on and on about his son for hours!" Luffy laughed to Usopp. "I think I heard enough about you to make my ears bleed. And let me tell ya, he was a great pirate too!"

"I'm proud of my old man," Usopp sighed. "Living a pirate's life on the endless sea, a life of real adventure."

"Maybe you can help us," Nami smiled, ready to pull a deal out of Usopp now that he was friendly with them. The sniper looked at her curiously. "Do you know where we can find a decent ship? Or even someone with experience in sailing?"

Usopp shifted uncomfortably for a moment then pasted a smile as fake as Kim's onto his face.

"It's a pretty small village, you know. No one ever really leaves so I don't think you'll find any sailors here. Sorry, but I just don't think we'll be able to help you." He avoided Nami's eyes as he spoke.

Kim felt a twinge of amusement and her golden eyes sparkled with mirth. Usopp was being ridiculously adorable in his attempt to shield Kaya from unwanted attention. Either that or he was trying to keep her – and his visits to her – a secret. Kim had to restrain herself from teasing him as she did to her friends back home about their relationships.

"What about that huge mansion over there?" Zoro asked, looking out the window at what Kim presumed was Kaya's mansion. Usopp looked horror-struck at the swordsman's observation skills.

 _I bet he regrets choosing a window seat right about now,_ Kim thought to herself, a legitimate smile spreading across her face. She hid it from the others by raising her glass of water to her lips.

"Hey!" Nami exclaimed excitedly, clasping her hands together. "Whoever lives there must be rich! With all that money, surely they can help us get our boat!"

Kim hummed in agreement from behind her glass, curiously watching Usopp to see how he'd react.

The sniper's brow furrowed in annoyance, the first true sign of hostility he'd displayed, "Stay away from there!"

"Huh," Nami gasped, hands dropping in surprise. Zoro and Kim raised their eyebrows at him and exchanged a look with each other (they seemed to be doing that a lot lately). Luffy blinked at Usopp with astonishment.

The sniper seemed to realize his mistake and jumped up in a hurry. "Sorry! I just remembered something that I really have to do. Um, everyone knows me here so stay and eat as much as you want! Well, see ya!"

"What was that all about?" Nami asked in shock, watching the door swing behind Usopp as he left.

Luffy shrugged. "Who knows? Besides, he told us to eat as much as we want! More meat!"

Nami groaned and dropped her head onto the table. "You're insatiable!"

Zoro laughed at her and Kim grinned, glancing away from the older girl to look out the window. Usopp shot across her line of sight in the direction of the mansion.

The brunette giggled to herself. _Oh yeah, that boy's totally got feelings for Kaya._


	16. Naginata

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim meets yet another person that pisses her off and gets a gift for her troubles.

Later on, after Usopp had gone, the door to the restaurant slammed again, but this time, instead of someone leaving, someone came in.

The 'someone' that came in happened to be the three little boys from Usopp's 'crew.'

They flung the door open and, led by the dark haired one, held their wooden swords up proudly. "The Usopp Pirates have arrived!"

The restaurant's owner, an elderly man in a rocking chair, looked at them for a moment before smiling and turning back to his newspaper.

Nami, however, had her attention drawn to them and she turned around, peeking around the back of the booth to get a better look. "Who are these kids?"

The boys seemed a bit surprised.

"Captain Usopp is gone," the pink haired one noted nervously.

"Did they –?" the blond one began, his expression horrified.

"Fess up you filthy pirates!" the leader of the trio shouted, coming closer to yell at them. "What have you done with our beloved captain? Tell us now!" The other boys echoed his words.

Kim glanced at Zoro out of the corner of her eye and bit back a grin at the positively evil look the swordsman wore. Following his lead, she dropped her chin into her hand as well, elbow propped up on the table in a lazy manner, and began dragging her fork through the left-over meat sauce on her plate.

Luffy took a long drink from his cup and slammed it down with a satisfied sigh, resting a hand on his enlarged belly. "Ah~! That was some  _good_ meat!" Whether or not he was in on the joke, Kim didn't know, but she and Zoro just rolled with it.

"Meat?" the pink haired one asked shrilly, and Kim managed to turn her giant grin of amusement into a sinister smirk.

"Oh good! The side dishes are here!" she laughed evilly.

"If you're looking for your captain," Zoro chuckled. "We ate him."

The kids screamed in terror, calling them all cannibals and invoking the wrath of Nami while Kim and the boys burst out into hysterical laughter.

"Oh, God!" Kim exclaimed, clutching at her sides. "That's too funny!" Zoro snorted in agreement.

Once they managed to contain their laughter, the teens reassured the boys that they had not, in fact, eaten their captain and they had very little desire to be cannibalistic with anyone.

It took a bit of convincing, but the boys eventually relaxed and stopped trying to hide from them (especially Nami, seeing as she was still fuming).

"Hey, do you guys know where your captain went?" Nami asked curiously.

The trio blinked at her around their cookies (Kim had eaten her fill and offered the rest of her dessert to the children as an apology for the prank) before the little dark haired one – Pepper – spoke up.

"Um, the captain went up to that big mansion on the hill. We could take you up there if you want. It's not that far away…"

Luffy grinned. "That'd be great! Let's go!"

The group rose from the booth and paid for their food (and Usopp's, much to Nami's annoyance) before exiting the restaurant. Like Pepper had said, the mansion wasn't that far off, but to get there, one had to walk through the town, in between the shops. While they were passing through, a gleam from one of the windows caught Kim's eye.

What was in the window wasn't terribly remarkable, but to Kim, it held something interesting about it that she wanted to explore. The brunette broke away from the group to get a better look.

"Kim-san?" Nami asked, and the rest of the group stopped to watch the youngest girl head toward the store. "Are you coming?"

"You guys can go on ahead," Kim assured her. "I saw something over there that I want to check out. I'll catch up later."

"Kay!" Luffy said cheerfully, continuing on. The little boys trailed after him happily, wonder-struck at being in a  _real_  pirate's presence. Nami and Zoro hesitated for a moment, and then hurried to catch up once Kim was through the shop's threshold.

The shop was filled with antiques of all kinds, ranging from old, dusty boomerangs to delicate, shining china. A large grandfather clock sat by the wall, the ticking filling the silence. The main desk was empty.

Kim had always felt something strange settle over her when she entered antique stores. It was rather like stepping back in time or into a place where quiet prevailed. It was a bit sad to see all the things in there, sold because they had no use, because they were old and unwanted.

A little bear looked up at her mournfully from atop an old dresser, its fluffy arm having only a small rip that could easily be repaired. Kim reached for it sympathetically, checking its price tag and then her wallet to make sure she had enough to buy it. It looked so lost, so… downcast she wanted to take it with her and make it happy, at home. (So what if it was just an old stuffed bear? She had a sentimentality problem and watched too much Winnie-the-Pooh as a child, so sue her!)

Bear firmly in grasp, she headed over to the window to see what had caught her attention earlier.

It was a long, spear-like weapon with a sleek, shiny, handle that was made of wood. The length of the wood was about a head shorter than she was and ended with a – she believed it was called a hand guard or something like that – strip of metal that reminded her of the one on Zoro's swords. Beyond the hand guard was a long, katana-like blade of white-silver metal that glowed in the dying sunlight. It was very pretty, but it looked dangerous enough not to be a simple decoration.

"That's a naginata," a rough voice said from behind her.

Feeling much like a child with her hand caught in the cookie jar, Kim spun around, the little bear clutched to her chest.

The little old man – looking as if he was one of the antiques himself – smiled at her in amusement, thick white mustache twitching. The mustache was about all the hair he had and Kim was reminded of Master Makarov from Fairy Tail. She half expected the man to grow into a giant before her eyes.

"Naginata?" Kim asked curiously, glancing at the weapon again. It gleamed in the sunlight in an almost playful manner and she felt the urge to pick it up. Her fingers twitched in its direction.

The man seemed to notice this and, if anything, looked delighted by the little tick.

"Yes, a very useful weapon. Good for fighting when you don't want to get too close to an opponent. Heavy too, so you can get better hits in on whoever you're attacking." The man sighed, a leaned against the dresser the bear had been sitting atop. "But you don't seem like the fighting type, little miss, not with that bear at least. You don't want to mess with something as messy as that."

Was it just her imagination or did Kim seem the blade gleam again, almost like an irritated person's eyes flashed with annoyance before they spoke up against whoever was getting on their nerves?

"Oh trust me; fighting is unavoidable in my profession." Kim laughed, readjusting the bear in her arms.

"And what might that be?" the man asked curiously.

"Pirate," Kim said slyly, wondering how the man would react to having a pirate in his store. He seemed a little displeased and looked at the bear in her arms apprehensively. Kim laughed. "Don't worry, I'm gonna pay for the bear. Here, I'll go ahead and do it now if that'll make you feel any better." She took the money out of her wallet and handed it over to the man before removing the price tag on the bear. She decided to call him Oliver and put him in her backpack next to the egg.

However, just as she was putting Oliver away, the man caught a glimpse of the multicolored eggshell and practically fell over. Kim jumped in surprise as he jumped back to his feet, cursing in some language she thought sounded like Russian. Then again, it could have been anything. She didn't speak Russian, so she couldn't be sure if that was it or not.

" _This_  is the child Akane told me about!" the man muttered to himself, looking bewildered. "She doesn't look like she could take on a flower, let alone  _that._  I can't believe he'd send a sprout to me!"

Kim scowled, feeling less than agreeable towards the old man now that she knew he was in league with  _that red head._ "Ugh, he's everywhere I go, isn't he?! God!"

She threw her hands up in frustration and began stomping to the door (she lightened her steps when she saw the china shaking, though).

"Wait!" the man called after her and Kim, despite her better judgment, did as he said and turned to see what he wanted, a biting reply on her tongue. She never got to say it though, seeing as the naginata was flying at her face. The brunette screamed and hit the floor, body shaking with adrenaline and fear. The long, black handle tremored above her head, the blade firmly embedded in the door.

"What the hell!" she screamed, face red with anger. The old man snorted.

"Well, at least she's got reflexes. Maybe she's not so hopeless." He threw something else at her face and Kim caught it out of reflex. It was a scabbard, just the right size for the naginata's blade. "Take them with you. No charge. Lord knows you'll need something to keep you alive…"

Kim gaped at the old man and he laughed at her before disappearing into the back of the shop.

After a moment, her senses came back to her and she rose to her feet, blood still racing and anger flooding her.

"You know what, fine!" she muttered to herself, grabbing the naginata's handle. "I'll take the spear-sword-stabby thingy! And if he wants it back, he ain't getting it. That'll show him to throw blades at someone's  _fucking head!_ " She wrenched the naginata out of the door, staggering under the weight, and rested the butt of the handle on the floor so she could slip the sheath onto the blade. She didn't want to cut herself of anyone else with it by accident. She picked it up again and braced it against her shoulder before exiting the shop, nearly falling backwards when the top of it bumped against the doorframe, sending her off balance.

The silver hand guard twinkled merrily in the sunlight, reminding her of Albus Dumbledore's infamous eye twinkle.

"Oh hush you!" she groused at it.

* * *

 


	17. Moves Like Michael

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Moonwalker suddenly appeared! Jango used Hypnosis! It's super effective! Jango fell asleep!

When Kim finally met back up with the others, Luffy and Usopp were nowhere to be seen and the sky was much darker than it had been in the anime. Kim briefly wondered where the day had gone.

The trio of little boys rushed up the road to meet her and she grinned at them as they crowded around to get a better look at her new weapon.

Nami's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. "Somehow, I didn't have you pegged as a swordsman – err,  _woman_."

"I think it's more of a spear, really." Kim admitted, shifting her weapon. She slipped her backpack off and hung it on the fence post Zoro was reclining against, studiously ignoring the way the swordsman's eyes roamed over the naginata like most men eyed an attractive woman.

Suddenly, Onion, the little blond boy, squealed in shock and ducked behind Kim's legs. Her cloak swirled around him as the teen turned, effectively hiding the boy from sight.

Kim scowled at the approaching figure. It was Jango.

She didn't hate him, per say, but his character simply aggravated her to no extent. Maybe it was because he was on Kuro's crew or just because he did a horrible impersonation of Michael Jackson. It was  _not_ cool or necessary to moonwalk everywhere.

Just, no.

"Just a moment ago," Jango said as he turned to face the gathering of teens and children. "Who called me weird? I am  _not_  weird."

"Looks like a weirdo to me." Nami said flatly.

"Totally," Kim agreed, shifting her grip on the naginata. Her shoulder was starting to ache from its weight.

"That's ridiculous." Jango scoffed. "I'm just a passing hypnotist."

The word  _hypnotist_  seemed to seize the little boys' attention and they left the safety of Kim's side of crowd around the oddly dressed man.

A breeze drifted over the field and Kim wrinkled her nose. Jango's body odor was strong and the man smelled of rotten onions and unwashed feet. It was no wonder that mushroom had grown on his chin like Oda had said. That was disgusting and Kim vowed to make Zoro bathe every other day so he wouldn't  _ever_ smell like that. Especially if he was going to do that whole, daily workout routine like he did in the canon storyline. Kim liked to use the man as a pillow and, while he'd had an excuse not to bathe as of recently, they'd be getting the Merry-go soon and Kim  _knew_  it had a bathroom. Therefore, Zoro would have no excuse not to bathe and would be locked in there until he picked the soap up if Kim had her way – and she  _would_  get her way.

"Hey! Hey!" the boys cried excitedly, their eyes big and bright. "Can you show us some hypnotism?" Pepper exclaimed and the other boys echoed him.

"Are you kidding? Why would I show my skills to a bunch of kids I just met?" While Kim and Nami bristled at being called children, Jango began swinging his ring and explaining how his hypnotism worked, contradicting his previous statement.

"He still does it!" Zoro noted. An annoyed expression settled on the swordsman's face as Jango hypnotized not only the boys, but himself as well. "What the hell was that supposed to be?!"

Kim giggled at the older boy's ire and rolled her eyes at Jango. "That, my dear swordsman, is incompetence in his own profession."

She set her naginata down against the fence and went to move the boys out of the road, eventually being joined by Zoro (the softie), and resting the little ones against the fence. They curled up against each other, reminding Kim of a pile of puppies and, barely restraining herself from cooing at them, she covered them with her cloak. With any luck, they would be awake before the crew had to leave and she could send them on their way home.

Jango was left in the middle of the road, hopefully to be trampled by a passing produce cart. At least, that's what Kim was looking forward to.

Once the boys had been taken care of, Kim hesitated, then pulled a black marker from the depths of her backpack, doodling on Jango's face with all the glee of a prankster and writing 'MJ-wannabe' on his forehead in big, bold letters. Just because she was feeling particularly wicked at the moment. She grinned at her handiwork.

"So," Zoro said, casually leaning against the fence beside Kim. "You bought a naginata…" He trailed off suggestively, looking at her from the corner of his eye. Kim bit back a smile at the obvious display of interest and the way Zoro was trying to hide it (ineffectively, she might add).

"You can look at it if you like," the brunette offered, and Zoro jerked, as if stopping himself from rushing over to the spear. Instead, the swordsman moved with a purposely slow stroll, taking his time in picking the naginata up, unsheathing it, and examining it with eyes that burned with curiosity and admiration.

Kim felt a strange spark of warmth blossom in her chest and bubble up her throat, preventing any teasing jab she had drifting around her head from being shot at the swordsman. The sight of such childish wonder on the swordsman's face had brought on the strange feeling and she turned away from it, uncomfortable with such an odd reaction.

Fortunately, she found a proper distraction in the form of Kuro (the dickheaded butler – pardon her language – who had a suit with poop designs on it; thank you, Oda-sama, for making such a hateable character).

Silence fell upon the present StrawHats and, though their captain was nowhere to be found, they moved closer in a show of both unity and instinctive self preservation. Their expressions pulled together as one, each teen glaring at the butler with dislike.

Zoro set down the naginata and moved closer to Kim. He bent forward from behind her, his breath tickling the back of her neck and making a shiver run down her spine. "How do you know him?" the swordsman breathed in her ear. Somehow, his hand found his way to the younger girl's waist while he spoke, calloused fingers squeezing her side gently. Kim flushed at his close proximity but fought the awkwardness down enough to reply.

"Shouted words tend to carry," she replied quietly, her next words a complete lie. "Besides, I could see through the hedges when he was being an ass to you guys. I wanted to slap him." Zoro didn't need to know that she'd seen the scene enough times in watching the anime to know what had happened in Kaya's yard.

The swordsman chuckled, short hair brushing against Kim's cheek, and the girl felt the fire of embarrassment burn across her cheeks.

Oh no. Oh  ** _no_** _._

Kim knew what this was. She knew was this was and she would absolutely not fall in with it. This was attraction, attraction to Zoro that Kim would not allow to become something more than it was because it shouldn't have been there in there first place. No, not at all. This feeling would be quashed as quickly as it came because there was no way Kim was going to be feeling something for her crewmate –  _any_  of her crewmates.

The brunette hurried to turn her attention back to Kuro.

The butler sneered at them once before ignoring them completely, choosing to kick Jango in the ribs, his blatant lack of sympathy making the fingers on Kim's hip squeeze to a nearly painful level. She brought her hand up, warning the swordsman not to hurt her. The fingers relaxed, but remained where they were. The area where their heat sunk into Kim's skin felt like an almost pleasant burn. The warmth in her chest spread a little more.

Kim gritted her teeth and turned to watch Kuro shoot a string of biting insults at his first mate, too quietly to for the teens by the fence to hear, but loud enough for them to catch the anger in the butler's tone. When Jango finally rose to his feet, he looked tearful.

The two disappeared into the tree line together, leaving the younger group to themselves.

"I can't believe that guy!" Nami burst out once they were gone. Kim and Zoro turned to her curiously. "He's a total jerk!"

"Aye," Kim agreed, eyes drifting back toward the tree line. Zoro hummed his agreement and Kim could feel the vibrations coming off of him. She flushed again.

This had to stop.

* * *

 


	18. Lost and Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Usopp finds out a little late that Luffy's not dead and people like him enough to care.

The smell of smoke was in her nose and the sound of familiar laughter in her ears and Kim  _knew_ she was dreaming. Because her parents were sitting in front of her, whole and hale, just as they had been when she was very young.

Of course, there were pieces of them that kept changing, probably due to the somewhat haziness that came with Kim's memory of them. Her mother's dark curls, a color that seemed to be almost the same shade as Kim's dark auburn, kept going from tight curls to gentler waves, and her father's multitude of freckles kept dancing around his face to form random sets of constellations. The fire her parents sat in front of was a dull shade of green, with brighter blue and purple sparks flying up occasionally. Definitely a dream then.

Kim's throat closed up and she felt the nearly irresistible urge to throw herself into their arms and cry about how much she had missed them…

…. But she didn't.

She didn't let herself get caught up in the dream, in the lie her mind had brought her.

Her parents stayed where they were, just smiling and watching and waving occasionally.

She briefly wondered if Harry Potter felt the same way she did when he looked into the Mirror of Erised, if he felt the same need to be held, hugged, and kissed, by the people he knew he never could touch. At that moment, she felt more sympathy for Harry Potter than anyone she had even known in real life.

Kim blinked back the tears, her eyes stinging.

Her mother smiled sadly and pressed a kiss to her middle and index fingers, holding them out to Kim in a gesture she remembered her mother often making. Her father smile too, a tinge of pride in his amber eyes, his rakish grin reminding her of Kaine, and the pair began to fade, the smoke from the fire swirling around them until they disappeared from Kim's sight…

* * *

Kim's cheeks were wet when she woke and she shivered in the cool night air. Zoro was sprawled out next to her, his breathing deep and even. The Usopp pirates were still piled beneath Kim's cloak, curled up against each other for extra warmth. Nami was propped up against a tree, motionless in the dark.

Kim sighed and sat up, running a hand through her somewhat tangled hair. She hated dreams like that.

"You were crying in your sleep," Nami said quietly, startling Kim. She thought that the ginger haired girl was asleep like the rest of the group.

After glancing around to make sure the boys were still asleep, Kim shrugged and lowered her voice to a barely audible whisper. "Bad dream."

Nami hummed in sympathy and acceptance. Kim trusted the navigator not to push any further. If Nami did, it would put her own secrets on the line and Kim was certain the red head didn't want those out in the open.

"It's getting pretty late," Nami murmured, glancing up at the dark sky. "I wonder where Luffy could be…"

"Maybe we should go look for him," Kim suggested. She stood, stretching lightly, and removed a long sleeved T-shirt from her backpack, hoping that would be enough to stave off the chill. She offered one to Nami and the ginger took it gratefully, crossing her arms tightly to preserve warmth. "Let's leave the boys here. We'll come back for them after we've found Luffy."

Nami muttered an agreement and the girls shuffled off down the road, moving together to stay warm. Kim grimaced at the strange shadows the trees cast down on them.

"This place is kind of creepy," Nami said, volume a bit louder now that they weren't in danger of waking sleepy children (or Zoro, the cranky pants).

"You can say that again," Kim muttered and squinted through the trees. "I think I can see where this ends. Can you hear the water too?"

The girls stopped, listening intently. The sounds of ocean waves met their ears, accompanied by the soft slapping of water against a sturdy surface.

Nami frowned thoughtfully. "Those kids did say Usopp liked to come sit on the cliff when he was upset. Do you think Luffy could've followed him?"

Kim shrugged, knowing where Luffy most likely was. "I guess. Here, you take that cliff on the right and I'll take the one on the left. Holler if you find them."

With that, the girls split up, each searching around a particular cliff. Kim headed for the edge right away, dropping to her knees and peering down the edge, searching for any trace of Luffy. The darkness made it hard to see two feet in front of her, let alone all the way down to the beach, which had to be at least twenty feet away.

Kim huffed, raked back her hair, and scrambled away from the cliff, heading for the slope instead. Maybe finding Luffy would be easier down there.

Her footsteps echoed off the cliff walls rather loudly, making a tapping noise. She stumbled onto the beach, the last few steps of the slope difficult to walk because of the sudden change in the road. She headed down the left side of the beach, hoping that she could find Luffy quickly and wake him up. In the canon verse, the crew had found the rubberman before the sun had set and Kim was worried that they'd have less time to prepare for the Black Cat Pirates' arrival.'

Once she was on the beach, finding Luffy was relatively easy. The rubberman was bent at an odd angle, probably from falling off the cliff face first, and snoring contently. Kim rolled her eyes at him and shoved him over with her foot.

The boy awoke with a yelp, looking rather confused. "Wha- Where am I?" he yawned.

"On the beach." Kim said, offering him a hand to help pull him up. "Kind of a weird place for a nap. You've been gone for hours, Luffy!"

"Really?" the rubberman exclaimed, looking at the sky. He seemed to remember something and his eyes went wide. "We need to hurry up and buy some food!"

Kim blinked at him.  _Okay, not what I was expecting him to freak out about._

"Why?"

"Pirates are gonna show up later on and ransack the village! I need to get some meat before the store's destroyed…" Luffy explained, trailing off with a calculating look.

Kim slapped her hand over her face and sighed. "I'm not even gonna ask. Not even."

"Kim!" The brunette looked up as her name was called and found Nami stnding atop the cliff. "Did you find him?"

"Yeah! We'll be up in a minute!" Kim yelled back. The girl grabbed Luffy's hand and pulled him toward the slope. "Come on. Let's get back to the others so you can explain everything."

"Okay!" Luffy said brightly, squeezing her hand back and then proceeding to swing their clasped hands together in a wide arc, much like a child would. Kim laughed quietly at his antics.

* * *

Once the crew was all gathred together again and everyone awake, Luffy launched into bhis tale about Kuro relaly being a famous pirate who'd been planning to steal Kaya's family fortune for the past couple of years by murdering her in the middle of te nigt. The Usopp Pirates were horrified.

"What!?"

"Miss Kaya's gonna be killed?!"

"Are pirates really going to attack our village Mr. Straw Hat Man?!"

Kim rushed to shush them while Luffy confirmed their fears casually. The brunette scowled at the other seventeen year old and he just shruggfed helplessly.

"So that  _butt_ -ler is a really bad guy afgter all!" Carrot exclaimed, clutching at his hair.

"I never liked him," Pepper declared, his face as thunderous as a child's could get.

"And the hypnotist is in on it too!" Onion moaned mournfully. Kim cocked an eyebrow at him. Shouldn't he be more concerned about the village invasion.

"You said Usopp was there too, didn't you, Luffy?" Nami said contemplatively., brow furrowed in thought. "He's probably gone ahead and told all the villagers by now. All they have to do is hide out in the hills until they're gone. Pirates are generally stupid. There's no way they'll find you guys!"

The boys looked a bit relieved at that and began making plans to pack up their valuables for the hideout.

"Can I go buy meat now?" Luffy whined, practically rolling around at Kim's feet.

"No, Luffy. The store's probably closed now anyway. It's the middle of the night." The brunette pointed out sensibly.

Luffy ignored her past the 'No' and rolled over to Zoro, wrapping his arms around the swordsman's legs and giving him the puppy dog eyes. "Zoroooooo~!"

"Gah! Luffy! Get off!" Luffy puffed his cheeks out at Zoro and began climbing up the swordsman's body, declaring his refusal to let go unless Zoro procured him some meat. The girls watched in vague amusement as the boys argued, eventually getting down to rolling around in the sand. Kim giggled at them.

"What are you guys still doing here?" a familiar voice stuttered, and the crew turned to find Usopp standing in the middle of the road., a barrel at his feet. He looked stunned to find them there.

"Waiting for you, silly." Kim chirped happily. "What's in the barrel?"

"Um, oil." The sniper murmured quietly. He caught a glimpse of Luffy and his eyes popped open. "You're not dead!"

"That's 'cause I'm rubber." Kim grabbed his cheek and pulled for theatrical effect, the skin stretching further than a normal human's would. She let it go with a snap and his face fell back into place. Luffy grinned widely. "It takes a lot to hurt me!"

"We know all about whaat's going on with that butler." Nami chimed in.

"And we want to help!" Kim finished, Zoro grunting his agreement and Luffy bobbing his head madly.

"Yeah!"

Usopp looked ready to cry. "No one… no one's believed me 'cause I'm a liar. But the pirates really are coming… and everyone thinks tomorrow will be just another day… So I have to protect them! Then I'll have a real tale to tell. I may be a liar, but this time my tale is going to come true!" The sniper let out a sob, clutching at his freely bleeding arm. "They can shoot me in the arm… and they can chase me with brooms, but this village is my home! I love this village and I have to protect it! There's not much time to make a plan, but I won't let everyone be murdered without a chance!" He finished his speech with antoher sob, dropping his head into his hands.

"You've got a noble heart, kid, trying to fight this fight alone." Zoro smirked, looking a little proud of the liar.

"We're going to help you!" Luffy grinned, stretching in preparation of the up coming fight.

"But I'm telling you now!" Nami said warningly. "The treasure's all mine!."

Usopp looked stunned, hands dropping from his face. "You guys…"

The StrawHats just grinned at him.

* * *

 


	19. Brawl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which someone gets and ass kicking and Kim gets her hair pulled. And not in a fun way.

The teens split up into groups to accommodate Operation "Kill the Cat" (Zoro's idea), with Usopp and Zoro taking the slope where the sniper believed the pirates would attack from, Kim and Luffy taking the slope where the StrawHats had landed, and Nami taking a spot directly in between the two groups, waiting for the warning from one of the groups. The warning would signal the arrival of the pirates on one of the slopes and Nami would run to the other to tell which ever group was there. As a precaution, both slopes had been slicked with a thick layer of oil, ensuring a slip and slide for whoever tried to pass by.

"This stuff stinks." Luffy grimaced, sticking out his tongue at the black substance.

Kim shrugged a bit. "It'll be helpful though, right? Hard to fight on this kind of stuff." She swung her naginata experimentally, liking the way it cut through the air without much effort on her part. However, the speed it took her to get some momentum on it was a bit worrying and she hoped she could hold her own in the upcoming fight. "Ayesh, I can't wait for this fight to be over and done with."

"Looks like you're about to get your wish," Luffy said, pointing at the horizon. "It's dawn." They weren't in the right position to watch the sun rise, but they could see the pinkish orange hue setting in the sky, signaling the arrival of the morning.

Kim squinted out over the water and saw the outline of a ship.

It was the Black Cat Pirates, the wicked Kuro's horrible crew.

Luffy jumped to his feet as he too sighted them and the pair of seventeen year olds raced back into the tree line, simultaneously hiding them from sight and getting closer to Nami's location. Kim wet her lips and took in a deep breath, releasing it in the form of a high, melodic whistle: the signal.

She then fell silent, waiting for the return whistle. Once it came, they would know that Nami was on her way to let Zoro and Usopp know the pirates had arrived. A heartbeat's moment later, Nami's answering whistle floated back to them and Luffy shared a brief nod with his Chronicler before they turned their eyes back to the sea… and waited.

When the Black Cat pirates finally made landfall, they celebrated with a deafening roar.

Kim winced at the loud noise and covered her ears.

"Alright you scalawags! Time to hit the beach! Sack the village! Capture that estate!" Jango shouted happily.

"Scalawags? Couldn't he have thought of something better to call them?" a voice muttered from behind Kim and Luffy.

"Zoro!" the rubberman exclaimed quietly, grinning at his first mate. Kim smirked, reaching out to fist bump Usopp as the rest of the teens filtered into the brush.

"'Bout time you guys got here!" the brunette said cheerfully, scooting over so Nami could sit by her. "Time for you to do your thing, Usopp!"

The sniper nodded – a bit nervously – and crept forward in the brush, getting close enough to the slope where he'd have a good aim but still hidden enough to remain unseen. He pulled out his slingshot and loaded it, leaving his pouch open for easier access to his ammo.

"Nami," Kim whispered secretively. "You ever played a bluff at pool? What do you say to bluffing this fight before pulling out the big guns?"

The girls shared a grin and quickly informed the boys of their plan before creeping up to wait behind Usopp, telling him too. The sniper nodded distractedly at them and turned back to the slope to focus his attention on the Kuro pirates.

He began firing off caltrops, little balls with wicked spikes on them, discretely, making the weapons land directly in the pirates' path. What few managed to bypass the oil slick screamed when their tender feet landed on the spikes. Usopp then took the chance to fire at them, sending several flying off their feet and sliding back down the slope.

The rest of the teens cheered the sniper on quietly. Usopp grinned bashfully and continued to let off off rounds, his hand a blur as he continued his rapid fire.

Eventually, his ammo pouch grew light and the number of pirates had gone down significantly, none permanently injured, but enough to be writhing on the ground, clutching the area they had been shot in.

"Getting hit by your lead balls must be pretty painful," Kim commented, wincing sympathetically as Usopp fired the last of his ammo, pelting one pirate in the throat. "Ouch!"

"No time to be nice, Kim." Nami said, pulling out the pieces of her bo-staff and connecting them.

"Right," Kim muttered and unsheathed her naginata, standing up from her crouch. Nami and Usopp followed, the sniper pulling out his large hammer. "Wait, where the hell were you keeping that?!"

Usopp just grinned and swung the hammer experimentally, loosening his muscles in preparation for the fight.

The three let out loud (and slightly frightened) war cries and charged forward, each one knocking a pirate off their feet with the brunt of their weight.

Kim felt a bit giddy from the sudden adrenaline rush and shrieked as a pirate swung a club (why were there even clubs? These were pirates, not cavemen), ducking quickly to avoid having her head smashed in. She swung her naginata at him, slashing open his arm and sending a vicious kick at his knee, sending him stumbling backwards. Nami helped her out by shoving her bo-staff into the pirate's stomach and shoving him back down the slope. The girls shared a quick nod before charging back into battle, slashing and striking with their respective weapons.

Kim swung around, lifting her naginata just in time to avoid the sword that had been aiming for her face. Her arms trembled under the force of the swing and she gritted her teeth, pushing back against the attacking pirate and just managing to shove him back enough so she could get on the offensive. Kim raised her naginata up and clutched at it with both hands, already feeling a bit drained not five minutes into the battle. She swung at her opponent, grazing him with her blade, and then parrying his attack as he swung back.

She kept her feet moving constantly, using her speed the best she could, dodging and blocking the pirate's thrusts. Then she planted her feet firmly, sending a wild swing at the man's head with the butt of her naginata. It connected with the side of his head with a dull thud and he went down at her feet, a bit of blood trickling from his mouth.

Kim only had a second to hope that the reason he was bleeding was because she knocked out a tooth and that the man, under no circumstances, was dead by her hand before another pirate charged, not giving her any time to rest.

The brunette found herself being pushed back toward the tree line and straightened her legs, trembling from the force of her attacker's weight.

Back in the fray of the battle, she could see Nami struggling to hold her own. Usopp went down a few feet from her, having taken a vicious blow to the head from a stone hammer. The girls screamed in shock and fear.

The pirate scoffed down at his victim, shouldering his hammer easily. "Did you really think you could stop the sea's fiercest pirates? LET'S GO! CAPTAIN KURO AWAITS US!" he bellowed, raising a fist in the air and receiving an excited "Aye!" from his crewmates.

Usopp's hand shot out, latching onto the pirate's ankle with surprising strength. Nami watched with wide eyes but Kim was forced to turn her attention back to her own attacker as he swept her feet from beneath her. She went down with a scream, rolling just in time to avoid the sword aimed for her throat. Some of her hair caught in the blade, making it impossible for her to move any further without ripping it from her head. She cried out in pain and her hand scrabbled around for her naginata, it having been dropped when she fell.

She barely registered Usopp's speech about protecting his village and Nami being thrown into the cliff through the rushing in her ears, Kim's eyes wide in terror.

"Let's kill all three of 'em," one of the pirates suggested, lowering his sword to Usopp's throat. Kim blocked a blow from her attacker, finally managing to get a grip on her naginata and bring it up to defend herself.

"Don't waste your time!" Jango commanded. "We're late! Sack the village! Follow Captain Kuro's orders unless you want to ruin his plans! He'll cut all our throats! Have you fools forgotten?!"

The Kuro pirates froze in fear and began a sprint up the slope, charging past the oil with a little help from their swords, stuck into the ground for leverage.

"Stop!" Usopp cried hysterically, grabbing what pirates he could and shoving them back down the hill. "Don't go to the village!"

A pirate kicked him in the jaw, sending the sniper flying. "Shut up and get out of the way!"

Kim shrieked as the mass of pirates descended upon her, unable to avoid being trampled because of her still stuck hair. She grabbed the sword and tugged on it desperately. "This would be a really good time for some backup!" she cried.

"Cool it, Leonore. We've got this." Zoro chuckled, emerging from the bushes behind Luffy.

The boys swung out at the rush of pirates, one with his sword and the other with his arm, sending the men flying back down the hill. Kim sighed in relief and let go of the sword as Zoro approached her, yanking it out of the ground with ease. The brunette rubbed at her scalp, accepting the hand up from her first mate.

"It's about time," Nami scowled, standing up and helping Usopp to his feet. Luffy grinned at them, shamelessly.

Kim rushed forward and helped Usopp over to the side of the cliff, setting him down in the grass with Nami's help. The brunette retrieved her backpack from the bush she had hidden it in earlier and retrieved the first aid kit she had kept from Orange Town, using a bottle of water to wash the blood off Usopp's head. The Chronicler worked quickly, swathing the sniper's head with gauze and wondering how she had become the crew's field medic.

"You good?" she asked, patting the sniper on the back. When she got a nod from him, she jumped back to her feet and went to join the rest of her crew at the top of the slope, clutching her naginata tightly.

"What is this, Captain Jango?" the Black Cat pirates cried fearfully, looking at Zoro and Luffy in trepidation. "You never told us we'd be facing demons in battle!"

The teens grinned down evilly at the pirates, a couple of them cracking their knuckles threateningly.

It was time for the real battle to start.

* * *

 


	20. The Mask

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, it isn't exactly a comedy movie but there's a baby like the sequel!

"I didn't realize you guys were so tough," Usopp sighed, grinning around the pain in his head.

Luffy laughed. "Yup!"

"Tough, badass, awesome. It all applies to these two," Kim agreed, bumping Zoro with her shoulder. The swordsman grunted at her and ruffled her hair. She winced at the motion, scalp still sore, and pulled her hair back into a tight bun, not wanting to have a repeat of earlier.

"What took you guys so long?" Nami asked crossly. "Stop to get a manicure?"

"You guys were holding your own." Zoro said dismissively.

"Holding our own?" Nami bristled. "I get thrown into a cliff and you call that holding my own?! Usopp got his head bashed in and Kim was nearly trampled to death! How the hell do you call that holding our own?!"

Zoro shrugged. "You didn't die so that was going well for you."

Nami looked like she wanted to slap the swordsman.

Kim and Luffy inched away from the lighter haired pair, not wanting to be anywhere near Mt. St. Nami when it exploded. Nami was scary when she got angry. Kim had always thought Chopper and Usopp had been exaggerating when they reacted to Nami's anger in the anime and the show, but now that she was experiencing it in person, Kim sympathized with them.

"Like I would let any of you die!" Zoro growled, looking very annoyed with Nami.

"Oh  _noooo_  way," Nami said sarcastically. "No, not killed. Badly maimed maybe but never  _killed_!"

Zoro glared at her.

Before the argument could escalate any further, Luffy noticed that the Jango pirates were beginning to stand again. "Hey! Those guys are still alive! They must have real spunk!"

Kim wrinkled her nose. "Please don't use the word spunk. I hate that word."

"Why?"

"It just sounds weird." Kim murmured, frowning. Luffy shrugged in a "Whatever" manner.

"Listen up!" Jango announced, gathering his men to him. "We don't have time to be playing around. We need to be stronger than our opponents! Look at this ring, everyone! When I say 'One, two, Jango!' you'll all get super strong and your wounds will heal. You'll continue to get stronger and stronger!"

"What're they doing?" Luffy asked curiously, eyes trained on the shiny ring.

"Hypnotism," Kim stated, shoving Luffy's hat over his eyes and thereby blocking his view of the enemy crew and, more importantly, Jango's ring. "Don't look at him guys unless you want to get caught up in his mind games."

"Don't tell me you believe in that crap!" Nami exclaimed incredulously. Kim shrugged and pointed down the slope.

"Some things do tend to work if people believe in them. Who knows, he might actually be a good hypnotist. You saw what he did to those kids, right? What's to say he couldn't do it to his crew as well?"

"But there's no way he can make them stronger just by swinging some trinket!" Nami argued.

Kim smiled thinly. "Just wait."

"One… Two…" Kim made sure the hat was still in place over Luffy's face, preventing him from seeing anything. "Jango!"

What had once been panting, exhausted men dripping with sweat were no more. In their place were monsters, mindless attack drones with men's bodies and blank eyes.

Kim shivered as they roared.

"No way! It worked!" Nami exclaimed in horror. One of the pirates below bellowed and swung at the cliff beside him, causing a great chunk of stone to fall off. The StrawHat crew's eyes widened in shock. Luffy shoved his hat out of his eyes so he could see.

"No shit, Sherlock." Kim deadpanned, gripping her naginata fearfully. Zoro rolled his eyes at her and shoved her in the direction of slope's top.

"Hush, Leonore. Go sit up there with Usopp. You too Nami. Luffy and I will deal with these guys."

Luffy hummed in agreement with his first mate.

"If you insist," Kim said warily, relieved that she wouldn't have to fight anymore. She trudged up the hill with Nami, plopping down beside the sharpshooter and pulled her backpack into her lap. She felt better with it nearby, more confident somehow. She lifted the flap and peered inside, checking on her egg.

She paled.

There was a long crack running down it, its beautiful shell marred by it. Either it was hatching or she had somehow harmed it.

 _Oh my god, I killed my poor baby animal!_  Kim thought in alarm.

She reached into her pack, grasping the egg gently, and pulled it out to examine it better.

"Whoa," Usopp said, eyes bugging when he saw it. "That's going to be one  _big_  chicken!"

Kim shot him a frown and ran her fingers over the shell, touching the frayed edges carefully.

Her breath left her and he body chilled. Kim felt sick and detached. It was like she wasn't in herself. The closest comparison she had to describe it was like being at the crest of a rollercoaster before it came down, being suspended for a second as the momentum of the ride lifted her from the seat before pulling her back down. Except, she didn't come back down, not immediately.

The sounds of Luffy and Zoro fighting in the background were a dull roar in her ears and she watched as the world grayed around her. From the crack in the egg came a faint glow.

Kim had never seen nor really believed in magic before coming to the One Piece world. There she had met men with axes for hands and boys with rubber for skin. There were swordsmen with green hair and boys that could have long, Pinocchio noses. And there were eggs that could glow from their cracks.

So maybe magic wasn't too hard to believe in anymore and Kim knew (she didn't know exactly how she knew this, she just did) that the light from the egg was magic.

And it was calling to her.

She touched her fingers to the glow, eyes wide in amazement, and felt it trail up her arm in a dancing, spiraling pattern like the waves and air and she felt stronger somehow, more confident.

A smile curled on her lips.

The golden glow spread outward from the crack in the egg, consuming it completely and flickering excitedly before the glow sank into her fingers. Warmth blossomed up her arm, her shoulder, and onto her face.

Kim dug her mirror out of her backpack and gasped when she saw herself.

Nami and Usopp were gaping at her as well, and below, Zoro and Luffy had stopped to watch the golden glow coming from their nakama.

Across her face spread the most beautiful mask Kim had ever seen, composed of thin, glowing lines of gold. With a jolt, she realized that Akane, too, had worn a mask like this when he sent her to this world.

* * *

 


	21. Sick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which throwing stones doesn't break any windows but Zoro may break a few limbs later on!

Once, when he was young, Zoro ran across a traveling circus. At first, it seemed like a dream. There were fire-eaters and sword-swallowing men and women who could suspend themselves from ribbons and dance high above in the air. But there were stranger ones, ones who wore exotic masks covered in feathers and bright colors. Zoro had hated the masked men and women. Even as a child, he had been suspicious and instinctive and not being able to see their faces had freaked him out. All he ever saw of their faces were their eyes, luminescent or shadowed in the darkness of a circus tent.

But this new mask, this creation that had suddenly sprung on Kim's face filled him with a sense of unease that he had never felt, even back then. It was unnatural and somehow menacing despite the outward beauty it radiated. Kim's face was highlighted in gold, casting shadows across her face and making her eyes glow, as if they were also part of her mask.

She glared at him with those eyes and Zoro felt like they were piercing him. Normally, people said that about his eyes and he understood why everyone was so frightened of his glare.

"Dude, stop staring at me and 'deal' with those guys like you said you were gonna!" the brunette snapped and Zoro winced beneath her annoyance. It was like the mask amplified her anger, another reason he wasn't too happy with it. He wanted it off of her as soon as possible.

"Yeah, yeah." Zoro grumbled, following Luffy down the slope. "We've got this in the bag."

"Don't count your roosters before they hatch." Kim murmured a warning. She was beginning to look pale, but the golden spirals were growing brighter.

Still uneasy, he turned away from her and focused on the battle, his back burning from the force of her gaze.

Luffy leapt ahead, trademark grin on his face and launched his arms into a rapid volley of punches, taking out several of the hypnotized pirates at once. No matter how strong Jango made them think they were, it was no match for the natural strength and agility that Luffy possessed. "Gum Gum GATLING GUN!"

What few weren't caught up in Luffy's attack were quickly taken care of by Zoro, the swordsman weaving in between the enemy like a demonic snake, leaving no one untouched by his blades. The Black Cat pirates quivered fearfully under his glare and the glint of his blade.

"Captain Jango!" the enemy cried, "They're killing us! Do something!"

Kim watched them thoughtfully. In her eyes, weird as he was, Jango certainly made a better captain than Kuro did. Where Kuro's crew feared him, Jango was the one they looked to for help.

Jango's face was graced with a look of firm solemnity and he pulled out his ring, beginning to swing it. Luffy stopped dead, entranced by the glinting metal.

"Luffy!" Kim hollered, not wanting her captain to be forced out of the fight so soon. "Don't look at the ring! We need you!" Usopp and Nami echoed her sentiments actively.

The young captain ripped his eyes away from the ring and locked them with Kim's, chocolate brown on vibrant gold. He gazed at Nami's warm coffee colored eyes and Usopp's bottle green before settling on Zoro's stormy gray orbs. First mate and captain shared a silent look of understanding and Luffy ripped off a long strip of cloth from his vest, tying it around his eyes to blind himself. Zoro copied him, tying his bandanna around his eyes.

Kim wondered briefly if even they could fight in such a manner, but forced herself to trust in their abilities. Zoro and Luffy were two of the crew members she had the most confidence in, whether it was from seeing their determination to protect in Oda's beautifully illustrated pages or from living with them on her own for such a long time in such a close environment, and she knew that they would do everything they could for the best of the crew… even if it meant fighting blind.

"Let's try to help them as much as we can," Kim suggested to the others. "We'll be like… Hawkeye from the Avengers! Watching out for the rest of the team."

Usopp and Nami offered her a baffled look.

"Hawkeye?"

"The Avengers?"

"Never mind," Kim sighed. "I'll explain later. I have the movie on my iPod. You'll like it, promise."

"Crap!" Jango yelped, realizing that his plan to hypnotize had been thwarted. He frowned for a moment, then cocked his head to the side, listening. Kim listened too, hearing a faint voice floating out of the Black Cat pirates' ship.

"Zoro!" she called, quietly enough for the enemy to ignore her, but loud enough to catch the swordsman's attention. She beckoned him closer. "Listen, I've heard about the Black Cat pirates and some of the crew members. The ship's guards – the Nyaban Brothers – they pull this act to make their enemy think they're weak. Kinda like that bluff we pulled earlier. But they're not weak. They're super fast and'll steal your swords if you let your guard down for even a minute!"

Zoro nodded in acknowledgement, turning his head back to the ship. "I'll keep that in mind." Then he returned to the thick of the fallen pirates next to Luffy.

Kim huffed. "I give him great advice and I don't even get a 'Thank you' for it! Men…"

"Hey!" Usopp protested, looking mildly offended. Kim shrugged helplessly, unrepentant.

"You guys are so dead," one of the fallen pirates chuckled, his act of playing dead interrupted by his sudden surge of confidence.

The rest of the StrawHats (the ones who weren't blindfolded at least) focused their eyes on the deck of the Black Cat pirates' ship, watching… waiting.

"Nyaban Brothers! Come on down!" Jango shouted gleefully, much like a television talk show host.

Butchie, the large one, emerged before his skinny brother, Siam, and the pair leapt high off the deck, landing on the shore with a solid thump.

"You called, Captain Jango?" Siam grinned, posture much like a cat's, slinky and smooth, like water.

"Whoa," Usopp stuttered, halfway hiding behind the girls. "That was a pretty big jump there… They're just like cats!"

Kim hummed in agreement and tilted forward to get a better look at the people below. Some of her color had returned to her face and the intensity of the gold had receded somewhat from her face and neck, gathering in the skin of her hand, leaving faint, almost invisible lines on Kim's skin where the gold had left, like an extremely faded tattoo.

Jango and the brothers went off on a little skit of Jango 'forcing' the poor 'scaredy cats' to fight the big bad pirates and Kim scowled down at him. She liked to bluff, but only when it was her crew doing it. Call her a hypocrite, but tough.

Zoro's steadily relaxing figure caught Kim's eye and she prodded Usopp in the side. "Can you throw a rock at his head? He's totally ignoring my advice!"

Usopp grinned at her and picked up a fair sized rock, weighing it in his hand before chucking it down the slope at Zoro's head. Like all of his attempts, Usopp's attack hit successfully and Zoro roared in shock as pain exploded in his skull. He turned toward Usopp, eyes unseen but brow furrowed in a glare, however Kim placed herself in front of the sniper, scowling down at the swordsman and pointedly reminding him of her earlier words.

Zoro growled at her and clutched his swords more tightly.

First, he would take care of these crybabies, and then he would get his revenge on Kim and Usopp.

 

* * *

 


	22. Cat's in the Cradle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Gangnam Style becomes an effective distraction technique.

Siam began to run at Zoro and Luffy, bawling his eyes out. "Ready or not, here I come! I-I'll scratch y-your eyes out!"

Zoro frowned and pulled out the rest of his swords, holding them firmly, and then falling perfectly still, listening intently.

Siam swiped at Zoro's face with his claws, being easily blocked by the swordsman. Zoro shoved him back and slashed at him, slicing off part of the enemy pirate's bowtie.

On top of the hill, the three out of commission teens cheered.

"He blocked me!" Siam cried in shock.

Luffy grinned. "Nice one, Zoro! I'll take care of the other one!"

Then he charged into battle blindly, finding Butchie easily despite the cloth around his eyes. Kim wondered how he did it.

Zoro nodded in acknowledgement of Luffy's words and swung out at Siam, slicing the bottom half of his shirt off. The catlike man tried to play it off like he'd been hurt, but no one was falling for his act, all able to see through it now that they'd seen it once before.

"Get up," Zoro growled, head turned in his opponent's direction.

Siam scowled as he pulled himself to his feet.

The fight definitely wasn't going the way he'd planned. Zoro hadn't fallen for the act and Siam was all on his own, seeing as Butchie was getting pummeled into the ground by Luffy.

"Should we do something?" Nami asked. Usopp made a noise of agreement and loaded his slingshot, ready to fire, but was quickly stopped by Kim.

"No, wait! As much as I hate to admit it, those guys are way out of our league. We'd only be getting in the way and getting ourselves killed. Let's try something else."

"How about a distraction?" Usopp suggested, tactical mind going into overdrive. "Something to draw their attention away from the fight."

"If you guys are going to pull something, I'll take the chance to raid their ship for treasure." Nami added in, eyeing the ship with a gleam in her eye.

Usopp looked appalled, but Kim waved the thief off distractedly. "Yeah, yeah. Go do your thing. Steal from the rich. Give to the poor. Yadda yadda. Usopp and I'll cover you."

"We will?" Usopp whimpered.

"Yep," Kim grinned slyly. "And I've got just the thing for it…"

Everything was going wrong.

Jango looked on in horror as his best two fighters were subdued by a pair of rookie pirates. Kuro was going to kill them all.

A figure racing down the slope caught his attention, the ginger haired girl from the enemy crew easily ducking and darting around the battles going on. Jango pulled out his ring weapon and prepared to attack her once she was close enough.

"HEEEEEY SEXY LAY- _DAY_!"

Jango and everyone else were jarred out of their thoughts when a sudden cry filled the air. It was the other girl from the StrawHat crew and the Usopp kid from the village, the girl singing some weird song and the both of them doing some outlandish dance to go along with it.

"Op-op-oppa gangnam style!" the girl finished before suddenly snatching up her spear and racing down the slope.

Right at Jango.

The hypnotist squeaked in alarm and ducked as Kim swung the butt of the spear at his head. However, Jango had no chance to worry about her further when he spotted his captain standing at the top of the cliff, looking murderous.

"I'm sorry sir! We hit a few snags!" the hypnotist stuttered. Kim lowered her spear and stepped away from him, moving herself to stand beside Luffy, threading her fingers with his for comfort. The rest of the Black Cat pirates were paralyzed with fear.

Kuro ignored the apology in favor of yelling at his men.

"It's long past dawn, but you seem to be having trouble with following my orders so… JUST WHAT IN POSEIDON'S NAME IS GOING ON HERE!? Are you saying that a bunch of simple children held you up? That this is what the pirates of the Black Cat crew have been reduced to? You're a bunch of sniveling kittens, all of you! How  _dare_  you disgrace me like this!"

Kim felt Luffy tense beside her and he clutched her hand more tightly, using his free hand to rip off his blindfold so he could glare at Kuro with his full force.

"But you said that letting the kid live wouldn't hurt our plans!" Jango whimpered, curling in on himself.

Kuro was merciless. "Yes, I did say that because it shouldn't have been a problem! Anyone would expect him to try and stop us, but I didn't expect you guys to be so weak! I'm in no mood for your excuses!"

"Weak?" the Nyaban brothers growled, looking infuriated. Zoro pulled off his blindfold, grimacing at the sight before him (Siam and Butchie were some of the ugliest guys Kim had ever seen) before moving over to stand with his Captain and their Chronicler.

"You may have been strong once," Siam began, ignoring Jango's warning to just shut up. "But a lot can change in three years. We haven't been lazing around a mansion eating cream and getting soft. While you were playing butler to the poor little rich girl, we were out plundering villages and sending enemy crews down to the depths!"

"Is this a mutiny?" Zoro muttered and retied his bandana around his head.

"You'll find we ain't so easily to kill! That some things don't always go as planned!" Siam screamed, racing at Kuro alongside his brother.

"You've been out of commission for three years! There's no way you can take on the claws of the Nyaban brothers!" Butchie bellowed, taking a swipe at his former captain's head.

"You ain't' our captain anymore! If you try to kill us, we'll kill you first!"

They brought their claws down together, making deadly slashes through the air at Kuro. Except, Kuro wasn't there.

Instead, the black duffel bag he'd been carrying was ripped to pieces, the evil captain nowhere to be seen.

Kim squeaked in shock and clutched at her captain more tightly as Kuro reappeared behind the Nyaban brothers, fingers adorned with long, wicked looking blades. Zoro moved in the same instant, pushing Luffy and Kim against the face of the cliff and raising his swords, ready to block if Kuro tried to attack them. Luffy was weak to swords and Kim could barely defend herself against a bunch of lackey pirates - there was no way she could keep Kuro from killing her.

"Who are you going to kill?" Kuro asked quietly, dangerously.

"How'd he get behind them?!" Usopp gaped, leaning over the cliff to get a better look.

"Oh no! He pulled the Stealth Foot maneuver!" one of the fallen men groaned, burying his face into the sand.

"What are those things on his hands?" Zoro wondered, frowning at them.

"They look sorta like claws," Kim piped up, peering over his arm at Kuro.

The Nyaban brothers swung around in shock, but Kuro wasn't there either. He had moved again, disappearing and then reappearing behind them, arms draped over their shoulders in what would have been a casual manner, had it not been for the blades on Kuro's fingers.

"You guys were right," Kuro sighed. "I have gotten soft. I'm not your captain anymore, true, but I did hire you to do a job. And the penalty for failure is death!"

The Nyaban brothers gulped fearfully and the rest of the Black Cat crew was shaking madly. Kim saw Nami's head poking up over the railing of the Black Cat pirates' ship, the red head's eyes wide with fear.

"What were you fools expecting?" Jango said darkly, drawing the StrawHats' attention to him. "Captain Kuro's Stealth Foot maneuver is a technique for invisible movement. You could gather a group of the world's best assassins and they'd be dead before you could blink. We've got to carry out his plans or we'll be the ones who're dead! The way he adjusts his glasses... I knew the moment I saw him, that even after three years, that habit he developed to avoid scratching his face with those claws. It's proof that he hasn't forgotten how to kill!"

Kuro smirked and dug his claws into Butchie and Siam's necks. "Three years of inaction have softened me up. You've got five minutes. If those kids aren't dead by then... I'll kill every last one of you with my own hands."

Kim gulped as all the enemy's eyes turned on her and the rest of her little crew.

"Oh boy," she said nervously.

* * *

 


	23. Fragile Strength

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically, Kim gets the snot beat out of her and so does Kuro.

Zoro was the first to leap to action, racing at the Nyaban brothers when they moved to attack. "Tiger… HUNT!" he growled, swinging his swords around to slash at them. The pair went down with a  _'fwump'_  and Kim realized with mild horror that Zoro had merely been  _playing_  with Siam earlier and could have taken the cat-like man out whenever he pleased. It made her both proud and a little bit fearful to be crewmates with such a man of monstrous strength.

"He beat them with a single move!" the BlackCat pirates exclaimed, looking both terrified and hopeless. The Nyaban brothers had been their last chance to avoid murder at their captain's hands and they had been swatted down like flies. What chance did they have now?

"Don't worry. It won't take me five minutes to trash you all." Zoro grunted around the Wado, glaring out over the crowd of fallen (but still conscious) pirates.

Kuro smirked down at the StrawHats' swordsman evilly. "Try again. Looks like your claws could use some sharpening. Butchie's not down yet..."

Zoro swung back around in a panic, eyes widening as the pirate rose to his feet again with some assistance from Jango's hypnotism. The 'fat cat' let out a ferocious roar and, instead of turning to Zoro like Kim expected him to, Butchie turned on her and Luffy instead. The brunette let out a squeak of fear and pointed her naginata at him in defense, body trembling. Maybe she could stab him if he ran at them.

Luffy scowled and cracked his knuckles, ready to kick Butchie's ass if he tried hurting his nakama. "Kim, I want you to do something for me." he said seriously, mind going into battle mode. Kim had read something about how Luffy became a genius when it came to fighting, but she never truly believed it until she saw it up close in personal. The cogs were practically visible as they turned in Luffy's head, the rubber man's mind analyzing the battle with ease and deciding on how to go about winning it.

"Yeah, Cap'?" Kim asked, eyes still locked on Butchie's approaching figure.

"Do something about Jango. He's really getting on my nerves with that hypno-stuff." Luffy said, moving his gaze to rest on Kuro, who was warning his crew about their time running out. Jango snapped at Butchie, directing him back to Zoro, claiming that he would take out Luffy instead. Kim felt mildly insulted that she wasn't considered to be much of a threat, but knew the truth behind it. She barely made a mark in fighting the enemy.

"I'll try... but I'm not sure I'll be able to do much good." the brunette said dejectedly, wanting to do what Luffy said but not feeling like she could. "In case you haven't noticed, I haven't been much good to the crew since I joined. I-"

Luffy cut her off with a grin, a strange change considering how solemn he'd been a moment ago. "Kim. You're my nakama! I'll believe in you no matter what. You can do it!"

Kim felt like crying. All that faith, and for someone he barely knew. Luffy was truly one of the most amazing people Kim had ever met.

She sniffled and tried to wipe her eyes discretely, answering Luffy with a nod since she wasn't too sure of her voice. It would be embarrassing if it cracked in front of her captain.

The dark haired boy grinned wider and ruffled her hair, turning back to Kuro, expression shifting back to anger in an instant. "I'll take care of him myself."

Luffy's anger changed to astonishment and Kim leaned forward to see what was approaching from behind Kuro. Her eyes widened in surprise.

It was Kaya, looking as if she were about to pass out.

"KLAHADORE!" she shouted in a surprisingly strong manner for her condition. "STOP!"

Her slight figure drew the attention of everyone in the vicinity and Kim took the chance to examine her for the first time.

Kaya was very beautiful, almost devastatingly so, despite the obvious sickly pallor she was wearing. Her form looked like it would blow away any second, but her eyes were dark and carried a sort of angry strength in them. Kim had always written her off as nothing more than a side character to be shipped with Usopp, but upon seeing the actual girl in person, her opinion of the girl shifted somewhat.

Kaya had to be so strong, strong enough to fight her depression and grief long enough to march across the island and stand up to someone she had loved for years so she could apologize for being so discourteous to the boy who had been unwaveringly kind to her with no reason other than wanting her to feel better.

Kim now had a new respect for Kaya, because of the girl's emotional strength, and her dislike for Kuro increased greatly.

"Kaya!" Usopp panicked, leaping to his feet and pulling Kaya back behind him, trying to shield her from the very presence of the men he'd tried to keep from going to her. Kaya had basically ruined his entire plan by coming, but Usopp didn't even look annoyed with her. Instead, he was hiding her and practically holding her up so she didn't collapse in his arms.

Kaya smiled at him a bit shyly and full of remorse. "I'm sorry for what happened earlier, Usopp. I was so wrong. I couldn't believe Klahadore was a pirate. Could you ever forgive me for what I did? Merry told me the truth; he told me everything that happened. Everything Klahadore has done."

"Never mind that!" Usopp said urgently. "What are you doing here?"

"Isn't that the girl from the mansion?" Jango asked, eyes narrowing. "She's our real target! We can just kill her here!"

Kim glared at Jango and gently pushed past Luffy as she tied her hair back in a braid, shoving it down the back of her shirt so it wouldn't get in the way again. She wanted to be ready to fight this jerk, even if she only managed to scratch him in the process. Something brushed up against her leg and she jumped in surprise, glancing around her feet to see what had touched her. There was nothing at her feet - at least, nothing she could see - but she felt it again. Something was rubbing against her leg, the feel of it as soft as silk and its body skinny. It felt like a tiny kitten looking for some love.

Kim bent down hesitantly to touch whatever it was, reaching her hand out to feel for it. Her breath caught as she finally found it with her fingers, the creature bleeding into visibility as she ran her fingers over it.

She had no idea what it was, but it was absolutely adorable in her eyes.

The creature (for lack of a better word) was about the size of a small cat or a puppy. The face of it was leathery smooth skin with a few smatterings of nubby horns, mainly in a line down the center of its head, but there were two just over the creature's large, gray eyes, almost like eyebrows. The ears were covered in a long, curly sort of fur - the softness Kim had felt against her leg. The little horns trailed down its neck, stopping at the base, where a patch of feathers began to form and cover its upper body. The feathers trailed off like the horns did, stopping just below the creature's shoulder blades and merging into scales. However, a small line of feathers covered the entirety of its spine and tail, ending on a thick bundle at the tip of it.

Kim cooed at whatever-the-hell it was and the creature wagged its tail, much like a dog would, and rolled over, basically demanding a belly rub and revealing that it was a boy. "Hello there, sweetie! Where did you come from?" She lifted it into her arms and cuddled it, fingers never stopping in their stroking as she turned back to listen to the exchange between Kaya and her former butler. The creature, sensing Kim's distraction, turned his head to her fingers and began to gnaw on them with his gums, lack of teeth making his mouth less threatening. He whined slightly. His gums were hurting.

"So, Merry lived, did he? I thought I had killed him..." Kuro said brutally, adjusting his glasses with a sigh.

Kaya had to bite back a sob. "I came here to see this for myself. To stop Usopp from getting hurt! Even though I treated him so horribly, he's out here fighting! Fighting for our village! And m-me." She looked at the sniper and blushed slightly. "Klahadore! If you want my fortune, I'll give it to you! Take it and leave the village alone!"

Kuro smiled at her kindly, explaining that yes, he would take her fortune, but only once she was dead and the village ransacked. For his peace of mind, he said.

"Kaya!" Usopp gasped, trying to push her back into the trees, begging her to run away and be safe. "Don't waste your breath on him! He's not the man you thought you knew! He's scum. Go!"

Kaya shoved him aside, barely stopping to give him an apologetic look, before pulling a pistol from her pocket and aiming it at Kuro. "LEAVE THIS VILLAGE ALONE!" she hollered, glaring down at Kuro.

"Hmm," the BlackCat pirates' former captain hummed. "You've really grown up over these last few years..." He went on, listing off all the things he and Kaya had done together, all the good memories they shared, and then completely destroyed the girl by saying everything he did was so he could get close to her and then kill her.

Usopp's face darkened with the most terrifying expression of rage Kim had ever witnessed. Kaya broke down in sobs, the pistol falling from her hands. Usopp launched himself forward, swinging his fist at Kuro's face in a fit of absolute rage. Kim wished that he could have hit the man with all his strength, but Kuro ducked out at the last second, disappearing and reappearing behind the sniper, temple throbbing in his forehead as he reminded Usopp of a debt, a punch Usopp had given him earlier. As he went forward to slash Usopp in the back, Luffy's fist shot forward, knocking Kuro off his feet and sending him flying.

"What was that?" Jango cried in horror, looking around frantically. "Captain Kuro went down!"

"Tch," Luffy grinned, battle-high. "If you don't like to get hit, I'll hit you a hundred times more."

Kim grinned back at her captain, but shuffled far away from him and Zoro, moving toward the BlackCats' pirate ship. "Nami!" she called quietly, peering up in search of the girl.

The ginger poked her head over the railing, looking nervous. "What?!"

"Can you hold this for me?" Kim asked, shifting the creature in her arms so Nami could get a better look at him. "I've no idea where he came from, but he's just a baby and I'm worried for him."

Nami looked torn, but scrambled off the ship anyway, taking the baby animal from Kim. Their eyes widened as it disappeared from sight once it was in Nami's arms. Kim reached out to touch it again and it bled back into view, gnawing on Nami's forearm with a vengeance, feathered tail going mad. It blinked up at them and made a keening noise in the back of its throat.

"What is it?" Nami gaped, looking rather freaked out by it.

"I have absolutely no idea." Kim shrugged helplessly, ruffling its fluffy ears before shooing Nami back up the ship with the creature. Once they were safely back on board, Kim unsheathed her naginata again and carried it clumsily back to where she had stood before, between her male crewmates, all of them preparing for their individual fights.

Kuro was sprawled out on the ground, most likely stunned by Luffy's blow, and his men were freaking out about it.

"NOW!" came the shrill cry from the bushes and, to everyone's surprise, the Usopp Pirate's leapt out, wielding kitchen ware, gardening tools and a baseball bat. Usopp and Kaya shouted at them, looking rather like a couple worried about their children (foreshadowing? Kim wondered). The boys ignored them, slamming their 'weapons' down on Kuro's face with all their might.

Kim winced with every thud that rang out, her concern for the boys making her move up the hill. Nor Jango or Butchie stopped her, too entranced by their captain's beating to stop her. Kim stopped her walk halfway between Butchie and Kuro, pulling herself up to sit on the grass atop the cliff, having reached a point in the cliff wall that was close to the slope.

"STOP!" Usopp shouted, leaving Kaya to drag the boys away from Kuro, looking at the man with terror. The boys were unrepentant, huffing at Usopp and admiring their work with grins.

"That'll teach him!" Carrot said proudly, crossing his arms with satisfaction.

"Why didn't you tell us you were fighting?!" Pepper demanded of his captain. "Ew! You smell like sweat!"

"No!" Onion disagreed. "He smells like he forgot about his faithful crew!"

Kim looked at them with exasperation. How did that make any sense?

Apparently Usopp agreed with her. "I don't care what I smell like! You guys better get out of here now!" He shoved them toward the trees, even as they protested. Their complaints turned to screams of fear as Kuro stood up, facing in their direction, and the boys clutched at Usopp desperately. Kaya gasped and grabbed his hand without thinking.

"That stung a bit," Kuro said quietly, adjusting his now shattered glasses. Instead of moving toward Kaya, Usopp and his crew, Kuro stepped down the slope, commenting on Luffy's curious power.

Kim took advantage of his distraction to jump to her feet, running over to where Usopp and his beloved people were standing. The brunette grabbed Kaya's free hand and tugged her in the direction of the trees.

"Kaya! I know you don't know me and don't have a reason to trust me, but please! Listen to Usopp and get out of here! Everything we're doing is to make sure you're safe and alive! So run!" Kim begged and Usopp nodded at her, giving Kaya an urgent shove in Kim's direction. The blonde stumbled and Kim just barely managed to catch her, nearly dropping her naginata in the process. The tip of the blade nearly cut Usopp and the sniper yelped, jumping out of the way just in time to avoid getting sliced.

"Oi! Watch it!" he snapped at Kim. The brunette shrugged helplessly and Usopp turned to the boys clutching his legs. "Listen up guys! Help Kim-san protect Kaya! I'm entrusting you guys with the most important job of all! Get those girls away from here! Don't let me down! That's an order!"

Kim grinned and helped Kaya stand back up, passing her over into the possession of the little boys and then the brunette turned to look down the slope at Jango, who was getting ready to give chase to the Syrup Village residents.

"Hey! Hypno-freak! If you think you're tough enough, why don't you try and fight me?!" She stuck her tongue out at him and offered the one-finger salute, doing her best to insult him.

The hypnotist scowled and ran up the slope, right for Kim. The brunette braced herself, naginata held in front of her with aching arms. She was still tired from her first skirmish with the BlackCat pirates, but maybe she could hold off Jango for a little while.

Zoro moved to stop Jango, but Butchie leapt in front of him, engaging the swordsman in battle and preventing him from giving chase.

Kim let out a little whoop as Jango got close enough for her to slash at him and, while the hypnotist was moving to avoid her blade, she ducked into the woods, running off in a different direction from Kaya and the kids. Jango followed her, assuming Kim was running after the group to protect them. Behind them, the sounds of battle filled the air, the final battle just beginning.

As she ran, Kim made sure to make as much racket as she could, hoping to mask the sounds of the Usopp pirates making their way through the woods with Kaya in tow. Kim heard the sound of something spinning in the air behind her and she turned, moving just in time to avoid one of Jango's circular blades hitting her in the back of the neck. Kim gulped and came to a halt, jabbing at Jango with her spear.

The long haired man swung the blade he had on a string at her and Kim flailed, leaning back wildly and almost falling over at the blade just missed slicing open her collar bone. The neckline of her shirt was cut off and Kim gulped at the close call.

She regained her balance and used the butt of her naginata to shove him away, then fumbled to turn it around in time so she could slash at him with it. She nearly dropped it and bent down to snatch it up before it fell from her hands. Jango's blade bounced off the long wooden shaft and Kim squeaked as her fingers were millimeters from being removed from her hand. Jango smirked at her but, thankfully, didn't start some stupid monologue.

Instead, he swung his blade at her while she was still frozen in shock, the ring embedding itself deep into her shoulder. Kim cried out in pain and alarm, jerking back and shrieking as the blade was ripped out of her skin. Jango laughed triumphantly as she fell to the forest floor, dropping her naginata to clutch at her shoulder and writhing on the ground.

Jango moved to attack her again, but froze when he heard someone else crashing through the brush. He glared at her and wiped his blade off on her pants leg, smearing her jeans with blood.

"You tricked me," he scowled, standing back up. "I'll come back and deal with you once the girl and those kids are dead."

Kim felt a fresh surge of panic rush through her and she scrabbled for her naginata as Jango turned his back on her. Her blood soaked fingers found it, slipping on the handle before she got a better grasp on it. She threw it at Jango clumsily but missed, the spear falling to the ground just a few feet away from her.

Kim groaned at her pathetic attempt and pulled off her jacket, letting out a sob as she pressed the already blood-soaked cloth to her shoulder in an attempt to staunch the blood. Her body curled in on itself as waves of pain racked through her.

She sat there for what seemed like forever, just crying and shaking from pain. The waves of pain eventually began to subside and her jacket was plastered to her shoulder, the blood drying it to her skin. She felt sticky all over, from both the blood and her tears. Her heaving shoulders eventually came to a halt and she hiccupped, wiping her runny nose and smearing blood across her face.

She couldn't bring herself to care anymore.

She was such a failure. Her captain had believed in her, trusted in her to take care or the stupid hypnotist, one of the weakest characters in One Piece, and she could do nothing against him. She didn't even get a hit in on him!

She wasn't a canon character. She didn't have a dream other that just getting back home. She couldn't get stronger with every fight they went through. All she got from the fighting were ugly scars and nightmares and a complete and total feeling of uselessness. What good was she to anyone? To Luffy? To the crew?

Kim was just a girl without any particular skills or goals in life. She wasn't remarkable.

She wasn't StrawHat material and she knew she had no right to be on the crew, no matter what anyone said.

The brunette tried to bite back another sob, but it fought its way free, bringing a whole new wave of tears with it. She curled up further on the leaves, the sounds of battle in the distance falling on deaf ears.

* * *

When Zoro found Kim, he felt like he had been punched in the stomach.

She was covered in blood, the ground around her too, and she wasn't moving.

The swordsman dropped to his knees beside her and rolled her over as gently as his panic allowed him to. A little whimper tore its way from her throat and Zoro felt a flood of relief rush through him. The relief was only temporary though, because Kim's face was puffy and tear streaked, smeared with blood and dirt and looking at her made Zoro feel a little sick. God, she was fragile! Zoro had pretty much known that since he met her, but that cocky grin of hers and that armor of sarcasm and her sharp tongue was misleading.

Most of the time, Kim seemed like one of the strongest women Zoro had ever met. Kuina still held first place in his heart and most likely always would, but he was quickly gaining respect for some of the women he was meeting. Kim, Kaya, even Nami, were all products of tough lives and had gained their respective strengths for it.

Zoro knew next to nothing about Nami, but she her cleverness and con-artist ways were her strength and he didn't doubt that she had a reason for developing them. Kaya was a little easier to read, love and responsibility being the power behind her strength (and Usopp most likely, if the way she looked at him was any indication). Kim though, was the most difficult to read. Family was her pushing point, the reason behind her dream, but Zoro had no idea what caused her strength, what caused her to be able to stand and make her way through the world the way she did. It seemed like that strength was easy to break though, it her little break down could be caused by that.

Zoro didn't know why she had been crying or if it had any other reason besides her wounds and he would most likely never ask.

So instead, he clenched his jaw and shook her awake, trying to be mindful of her wounds. His face molded into an unreadable mask as her eyes fluttered open and he smirked at her half-heartedly. She composed herself quickly, trying to sit up but Zoro prevented it, making her stay down so she wouldn't aggravate her wound any further.

"Funny place for a nap, isn't it?" the swordsman grunted, raising an eyebrow at her.

Kim rolled her eyes and smirked back. "You're one to talk Mister I Can Sleep Anywhere. Here, let me up!" She wiggled beneath the hands holding her down and looked at him imploringly, all traces of any breakdowns now gone, hidden behind her shields.

"And have you collapse from bloodloss? Not a chance." Zoro snorted, moving his arms so that he wasn't holding ehr down anymore and then scooping her up in his arms, bringing her to his chest as he stood. Kim squealed in surprise and clutched at his shoulders, face twisting up in pain as she jostled her shoulder.

"Ouch! Zoro! Put me down! I can walk you jackass!" she scowled at him and slapped his shoulder when he didn't comply, instead shiftign her so she wasn't rubbing against his wounds. "What the hell are you doing here anyway?! Weren't you just fighting a moment ago?!"

"You've been asleep for a while then. I kicked that fat cat's ass and went after you guys and that Jango-dude with Usopp. Except, you weren't there when we caught up to them. Usopp took out the hypnotist and stayed with those kids and that girl of his while I went to look for you." Zoro explained without going into detail. "Luffy was kicking ass when I left. Let's go see how bad Kuro looks."

Kim huffed at him once she realized he wouldn't be putting her down anytime soon and readjusted her grip on his shoulders, feeling the swordsman up without thinking about it. A light flush crawled up Zoro's neck but he said nothing, choosing to continue his quite walk back to the slope.

"Zoro?"

"Yeah?"

"You're going the wrong way."

* * *

 


	24. Kanpai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The StrawHats gain a new crewmember and a home.

Kim enjoyed the crew's last few days on the island.

They had stayed in town long enough to get their wounds doctored (courtesy of Kaya) and have their bodies rested up. The StrawHats had crashed at Usopp's place, the girls taking the snipers bed (at Nami's insistence) while the boys slept anywhere they could.

That last morning, Kim was the first to wake in the early gray hours of the morning. She pushed herself up, pausing to stretch and yawn, and looked over the crowded room. Usopp's house consisted of two rooms, one of which was a small bathroom. The main room had everything else, including a little kitchen in the corner. Luffy and Usopp were squeezed in on the couch, both boys snoring like trains and piled up like puppies. Zoro was sprawled over Usopp's worn armchair, Kim's little creature curled up on top of his head (she couldn't actually see it without touching the little animal, but Zoro's hair had been flattened down by something, so she assumed it was the creature) and his swords barely a few inches from his hand. Nami was curled up in the blankets beside Kim, hair tangled around her face.

Kim pulled the blankets off and swung her legs out of bed, shivering as they touched the cold floor, and snagged her backpack up from under the bed. She was going to be the first one to get a shower this morning.

* * *

As the water cranked on, Luffy stirred, lifting his head up from Usopp's shoulder and looking around blearily. He panicked slightly when he noticed one of his nakama was absent, but relaxed when he heard the water running in the bathroom.

The rubberman removed himself from the tangle of Usopp's limbs and approached the bathroom, knocking on the door and not giving Kim a chance to answer before he barged in.

Thankfully, she was still dressed, but she didn't look any less annoyed with him.

"That's rude, you know." she informed her captain as she sat down on the side of the bathtub, checking the temperature of the water.

Luffy shrugged and sat down beside her, splashing the rising water half-heartedly.

Kim said nothing, waiting for him to speak first.

When he eventually did, his voice was low and quiet, almost unheard over the sounds of rushing water.

"I haven't lost faith in you, y'know."

Kim stiffened and focused her eyes on the water, refusing to look at her captain. "I know."

"Really?" Luffy asked disbelievingly, raising an eyebrow. Kim wished he could have been the stupid kid from the anime instead of the slightly smarter, emotionally understanding one she found herself sitting beside. "Because you don't act like it. When I asked you to join my crew, it was for a reason Kim. I want the best and you're one of them. Even if you don't know it yet."

Kim scowled and turned to face him. "The hell I am! You barely knew me Luffy! I can't do anything! I can't fight or sail or be a pirate!"

"I can't sail either and I don't need to know everything about you to be able trust you." Luffy said gently, catching Kim by the shoulders. "Being a pirate is easy. All you have to do is be free and follow through on what you believe in! Fighting will come later. Don't say you can't do things. That's what the rest of us are here for. We'll watch your back until you're ready... and in return, all you have to do is watch ours.

When I asked you to take care of Jango, I didn't expect you to do it perfectly. I'm not that stupid, Kim. I know you're not that great of a fighter and I didn't expect you to take him down in two seconds. But you tried! You tried and that's all I wanted.

Don't accept it if you want Kim, but when I asked you to do that for me, you believed in me. And that's the best thing anyone could ever do. You'll get better over time, I promise, and we'll all help you along the way! Because that's what nakama does. And one day, when we know you're ready and you know you're ready, maybe you'll believe in yourself for a change. So follow through on yourself and us, and we'll definitely follow through on you. You're my nakama, and I expect nothing more from you than to be the best you can."

Kim didn't know whether she should laugh or cry, so she did both, throwing her arms around Luffy's neck in a crushing hug. The rubber man grinned and ruffled her hair, pulling her into his arms so he could return the hug.

"You're such a sappy dork." Kim mumbled into the crook of his neck. "And I love you for it, but could you get out? I want to take my bath now."

Luffy chuckled and released her, leaving her sitting on the side of the tub as he left the room. "Sure thing, Kim."

The brunette smiled to herself as he closed the door and as she got up to lock it, she whispered, "Maybe... I can get better at all this crap..."

Later that morning, once everyone else was up and showered, the StrawHat crew set off for the diner, leaving Usopp at his house with a few parting words. The sniper wished them luck on their adventure and headed back inside, claiming he had things to do.

Kim's little creature pushed his head against her ankle and she picked it up, the thing coming into view, and the boys crowded around her, having never seen it before.

"What the hell is that?!" Zoro grunted, eyeing the little thing warily.

"Cool!" Luffy grinned, reaching out to pet it. The baby animal let him, rolling over in Kim's arms for a belly rub, much like he'd done back at the slope. "Let's keep it!"

"Actually, I was going to ask about that." Kim admitted, falling into step between the guys as they headed down to the village. Nami drifted off to the side a bit, not yet accustomed to being as close and the other three were. "I think this might be what came from the egg, so he's technically mine. I'd hate to leave him here, so could we bring him along?"

Zoro opened his mouth to protest, but Luffy cut him off with an excited agreement. The swordsman dropped his argument before he even made it, knowing that what Luffy wanted, Luffy got (the brat!).

"Whatever. But if I step on it because I can't see it, it won't be my problem." Zoro grunted.

Kim rolled her eyes and shoved the baby into his arms, ignoring his shocked protests. "Oh hush up you big softie. For all you know you'll fall in love with him! I mean, he's friggin' adorable!"

Zoro scowled at her and tried his best to adjust the baby without dropping it (a difficult task, seeing as he couldn't tell which end of it was up).

Everyone laughed at Zoro's plight as they settled in their booth, Kim finally taking pity on him, took her new familiar back. As they waited for their food, Kim pulled her iPod out and began flitting through a baby naming website, looking for something that fit her little familiar. Zoro watched her with mild fascination. He didn't think she knew it, but Kim's face made the oddest expressions as she looked through names, occasionally scrunching up with distaste or her eyebrows rising with incredulousness. Her lips twisted in contemplation as she finally found something that sounded interesting to her and she stopped, clicking on it to see what the meaning behind it was. The meaning really didn't matter, because she really liked the sound of the name, but she was still curious.

"Jianyu," she hummed, running her free hand over the familiar's soft ears. "It means 'building the universe'. I like it."

"So you picked out a name for it?" the swordsman asked, peering over her shoulder at the tiny script on the screen. "But isn't that a kind of heavy name for a baby?"

"Well," Kim said, smiling slightly as her eyes flickered to Luffy. "I believe in him, so he can be the best he can. That's all I'll expect from him."

Luffy grinned, looking a little embarrassed, but hid it by stuffing his face with food. Zoro was suitably distracted when his sake arrived, the swordsman choosing to pay attention to it rather than Kim. The brunette laughed to herself, offering Nami a smile as the girls dug into their meal at a more reasonable pace than the boys.

When Luffy suddenly started to choke, everyone stopped to look at him with alarm, watching with morbid fascination as Luffy stuck his hand down his throat. He rummaged around for a minute before pulling an entire skeleton of a fish out.

Kim shrieked in surprise. "What the hell! How did that even happen?!"

Luffy shrugged and flinched as Nami began scolding him, instructing him on how to eat without killing himself. In short, the whole thing consisted of "Chew your food stupid and stop trying to swallow everything!"

Zoro laughed at them, amused by the fearful expression on Luffy's face and Kim's shocked one.

"I found you!" a familiar voice called, accompanied by the sound of the restaurant door opening. There was a slight murmur of surprise from the other patrons as Kaya entered the restaurant, looking much happier and healthier.

"Hi, Miss Kaya!" Luffy said cheerfully, leaning around the booth to wave at the blonde.

Nami raised her eyebrows at the other girl. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I'll be alright," Kaya assured her, smiling kindly at the crew as she came to stand by their table. "My illness was caused by the shock and grief that came with the death of my parents. Usopp helped me greatly with my depression, but for me to rely on him all the time wouldn't be fair to him. But… that's not what I came here for! Didn't you say that you needed a ship?"

A wave of excitement rushed through the teens.

"Are you going to give us a ship?!" Luffy cried with glee and Kaya giggled at his enthusiasm.

There was a mad scramble as everyone rushed to get out of the booth and crowded around Kaya. The blonde looked delighted with their response and led them out of the restaurant and back to the slope they'd fought at earlier that week. Her butler, Merry, was waiting for them by the water, half swaddled in bandages and looking as proud as a new father.

The Going Merry bobbed behind him in the water, her body rocked by gentle waves. The ship had a beautiful glow to it that only came with something new and the paint was unmarked, practically shining beneath the sunlight. Her sails were furled and a little flag with a lamb's face fluttered from the top of the main mast.

Kim fell in love with the Merry at first sight, her heart leaping at the sight of the caravel.

Merry meant the loss of a certain closeness she and the others had shared at the beginning of their journey, but it marked the arrival of a new nakama and the crew's first real step in heading to the Grand line – and closer to achieving their dreams.

Kim and Luffy were the first to rush up close to the ship, the seventeen year olds stumbling in the sand. Zoro looked up at the ship with admiration, eyes wandering over the Merry with wonder. Nami clapped her hands together in delight.

"A caravel!"

Merry gathered them around and tried to explain how everything worked, but Nami ended up pulling him off to the side, knowing that Kim and the boys didn't really have an interest on how the details of the ship worked.

"I've stocked it with everything you guys might need at sea," Kaya smiled, seeming to enjoy the delight the StrawHats were expressing over her gift.

"Wow, thanks! You're just adding insult to injury, Miss!" Luffy exclaimed.

Zoro sighed and bonked the rubberman lightly on the head. "You mean, 'adding icing to the cake,' you moron."

Kim giggled and walked over to the ship, eager to start exploring her new home. She paused for a moment to watch Usopp roll down the hill, overcome with the weight of his backpack, only to be stopped by a foot to the face, or rather, feet to the face (compliments of Zoro and Luffy).

As the StrawHats moved onto the ship, allowing Kaya and Usopp their moment, Kim scrambled across deck, swaying slightly as she got used to the feeling of the deck beneath her feet, and bounced happily into the galley. She dropped her backpack onto the table and sprawled out over the bench that came with it, giggling to herself as Jianyu began playing in her hair. The brunette sighed and looked around happily, relieved that she finally had some space to move around in.

"Oh, wow!" Nami exclaimed, joining Kim in the galley. The younger girl sat up, untangling her young familiar from her long locks, and grinned at the navigator. "This is great!"

"I know, right?!" Kim said enthusiastically. "I wonder what the sleeping quarters are going to be like."

Nami lit up at the thought and grabbed Kim by the hand, tugging her back out onto deck. "That's a great idea! Let's go find them!"

Together, the girls raced around deck, squealing and exclaiming over the things on the ship until it was time to cast off. Though, before they did anything, some rules were put in place. The girls would have a separate cabin from the boys and they would be the first to get the bathroom in the mornings so help anyone who protested. No one wanted to go against Nami, so the issue went relatively unchallenged apart from some grumbling on Zoro and Usopp's part. Another rule (Kim's idea – and a wonderful one she believed) was that, since they had a bathroom now, showers would be required at least once a day. Both Luffy and Zoro protested vehemently at that, but Kim declared that anyone who worked or played more than an hour a day without getting a bath sometime that same day would quickly be thrown overboard with no regret on her part. Both Nami and Usopp had backed her on that, but the issue didn't go quietly. It took nearly half an hour for them to settle on an agreement and, when they finally did, both sides were irritated and glaring at each other.

Once that was settled, they were finally off at sea on Merry's maiden voyage, breaking out the barrels of sake and some kind of juice (for those who didn't want alcohol) in order for a kanpai to commence.

Luffy grinned as he held his glass up, the orange looking juice in side sloshing around merrily. "Here's to a new ship and new friends!" he declared and the rest of the teens clanked their glasses against his, letting out wild whoops as they began to celebrate.

_"KANPAI!"_

 


	25. Brothers Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew meets a few familiar faces.

_Her world is consumed in fire, everything blazing around her into nothing. Everything is dying, the world's life force fading from existence._

_The land sprawls out before her, soaked in red, the glow of the flames and the stains of the blood on the ground. A melody of screams fills the air and a wicked smile curls on her lips._

_She stands above all, tall and proud and oh, so powerful she's rendered giddy from it. A laugh bubbles up in her throat, bursting in the form of a mad cackle._

_She is the most powerful in this entire pitifully weakened world. She is a goddess and she will take everything she ever desired. She will take the very life force of this universe and use it to make herself even greater so that soon, all of existence and time will bend to her will…_

* * *

A wail sends Kim tumbling out of her bed, the teen jolting wide awake as a loud, infant-like wail pierces her senses. At first, she thought that it had been Jianyu, but a glance at the little makeshift bed they've made the familiar (Kim's decided to call him a Chimera for lack of better term, as he's definitely a mix of many things) shows the barely notable rise and fall of Jianyu, deeply immersed in slumber. If not him, then who?

Kim tips her head to the side, listening intently. The sound of night silence and light snoring from the boys and Merry's gentle creaking sounds are all she can hear. Perhaps the wail was of her imagination, born of her dreams. But, what had she dreamt of then.

Kim can't remember but vaguely felt like it had something to do with warmth. Maybe she'd dreamt about sunbathing on the beach or something nice like that.

Disturbed from her sleep and unwilling to give going back to bed a try, the brunette pulls herself off the cabin floor and over to the dresser, trying to be as quiet as possible as she dresses in the dark, not willing to wake Nami at such an hour.

Dawn is just breaking over the horizon as Kim emerges on deck, headed for the galley and a potential pot of coffee she knows she'll have to make in a pot. Unconventional but for coffee she was willing to go to that length.

The morning had broken by the time Kim was through with her coffee and she struggled to make a decent breakfast for her nakama. Being the first one up, it was rational for her to be the one to make breakfast. She wasn't the world's best cook (or even a fairly decent one at that) but she could manage some scrambled eggs (which were being kept in the refrigerator which, much to her surprise, ran on a small generator-like thing and proved that this world was turning out to be much more advanced than she had originally believed it to be).

Zoro's the first to arrive, having been on night watch all night, and he shovels his food down like it's going out of style. Once he's done, he dumps his plate in the sink, ruffles Kim's hair as he grunts out his gratitude before heading to the boys' cabin to catch up on his sleep. It wasn't quite the response Kim expected from him but at least he didn't criticize her cooking skills.

The others stumbled in later, Luffy and Usopp practically dragging themselves in, limbs and minds heavy with sleep. Nami follows at a more alert pace, eyes lighting up at the sight of fresh food and the three newcomers help themselves and join Kim at the table, Luffy's plate piled suspiciously high. It's okay though, because Kim's made a lot in preparation (even if the only thing she made that morning was scrambled eggs; she tried to make toast but that burnt to a crisp).

Breakfast passes without much incident, Luffy and Usopp waking up halfway through their meal and the pair generally causing a heluva big ruckus, annoying Nami and even Kim to some extent with their actions. Though, the younger girl can't help but burst into giggles when Luffy gets aggravated with Usopp and launches a spoonful of butter at the curly haired teen, the dollop landing square in the sniper's mouth and sending him into a startled choking fit. Perhaps Luffy had some potential as a sniper.

After breakfast, Kim forcibly ropes one of the boys into helping her with the dishes. Usopp grumbles through the entire thing but Kim's ruthless in her command and he's not allowed to leave until all the dishes have been cleaned, dried and put away meticulously. When they get Sanji to join the crew, Kim wants the kitchen to be as nice as they can get it.

She sends the sniper off with a good-natured smack to his shoulder and he leaves the galley happily, glad to be away from both Kim and the whole cleaning idea, wanting his hands to hurry up and dry out so they no longer look like prunes.

As he wanders out onto the deck, he finds Nami and Zoro (fresh from bed after a quick nap) gathered around Luffy, so he joins them. Kim peers out of the galley at them with interest.

The crew's captain is sprawled out on the deck, body smudged with paint and brow furrowed in concentration. A large black flag is spread before him, covered in splashes of white, yellow, and red (what Kim assumes to be Luffy's attempt at their Jolly Roger).

The brunette forces back a giggle when she looks at the others' faces, the stunned look of horror they all wear an amusing one.

"It's finished!" Luffy declared gleefully, holding the flag up like a child would, eager to show off his work.

Kim smiled at him kindly. "Is that going to be our flag, Captain?"

"I know Jolly Rogers are supposed to strike fear," Zoro began, eyeing the flag like it was a snake about to strike. "But that's terrifying."

"Maybe it's abstract?" Nami questioned hopefully.

Usopp scoffed at all of them and took the paint cans from Luffy, 'tsking' that, being the great and famous painter he was, there was no question that he could do much better than Luffy had the first time.

Of course, the first Jolly Roger Usopp painted was a representation of his own crew instead of Luffy's. That earned him a smack upside the head from both Luffy and Zoro. The rubberman clutched his poorly painted flag to his chest and went to stand by Kim, the only one who seemed to appreciate all the effort he'd put in his attempt. The brunette offers him a smile and threads her arm through his, receiving a grin in return.

Usopp finished with the proper flag and held it up for examination. It was very nice for a grinning skull with a straw hat. Kim thought he did a very nice job on it and discretely gave him a thumbs up while the others admired his work. Even Luffy admitted it was better than his, however begrudgingly he'd done it.

"Well, I have been drawing on walls for years," Usopp said proudly, crossing his arms and accidently smearing his chin with yellow paint in the process. "I'm a man of many talents."

Kim grinned. "Well, Mr. Many Talents, how about you go how well you can get all that paint off. Here, take this one with you." She shoved Luffy at him, taking the personalized flags from the boys and carrying them to the boys' cabin, intending to hang them up by Luffy and Usopp's bunks. Usopp repeated his actions once more, painting their emblem on another flag so that both the mainmast and the rear sail had one, along with the main sail. When he finally finished, there would be no mistaking the Merry-Go for anything but a pirate ship.

The rest of the day passed without much incident. In the late afternoon, they docked at an uninhabited island which, as it turned out, wasn't quite so empty. The island was the Isle of Strange Creatures, inhabited and guarded by Gaimon, an older man forever trapped within a treasure chest.

Kim opted out of exploring the island, volunteering to stick behind and guard the ship. She did join the party Luffy and Gaimon threw that night though, enjoying herself along with the others while they watched Jianyu play chase with some of the other animals.

The next morning, they parted with a few tears on Gaimon's part and a stubborn Chimera, who was unwilling to leave his new friends behind until he realized that Kim was already halfway back on the Merry.

The real adventure began once Gaimon's island was no more than a dot on the horizon.

With the loudest bang Kim had ever heard in her life, the crew jumped into action, Zoro and Kim unsheathing their respective weapons while Nami and Usopp ran into the galley to hide.

"What the hell was that?!" Zoro bellowed, running out on deck to peer over the rail.

Luffy frowned at him from beside the smoking cannon. "I was practicing with this, but it doesn't fire right." The rubberman pouted.

Hearing no shouts of battle, Usopp poked his head out of the galley and scoffed at Luffy before heading over to check the cannon over for himself. Kim joined them, interested by the workings of the weapon. Zoro rolled his eyes at them and rested against the mast, intent on taking a nap.

Usopp insisted on a try, adjusting the cannon's position with a little help from Luffy and Kim. Together, the trio of seventeen year olds pointed it at a small rock about a hundred yards from the Merry. "Judging by the first shot," Usopp muttered, brow furrowed in concentration. "This should do it..."

Then, with a sudden jerk on the rope connected to the cannon's firing mechanism, a shot was fired at the rock. Kim's hands shot up to her ears, everyone wincing at the volume of the blast.

Usopp howled in triumph.

"Wow!" Luffy exclaimed, half hanging off the railing. "You hit it on your first try!"

"Of course!" Usopp laughed, draping himself across Luffy's shoulders so he could get a better look as well. Kim followed his example, hanging over both boys so she could squint at the remains of the rock. She hoped Johnny and Yosaku, the bounty hunter pair who were supposed to be taking refuge on the rock, weren't harmed on their part."I always hit what I aim at. You can call me captain if you're so impressed."

"Nope!" Luffy stuck his tongue out at the other boy in denial. "I'll call you our sharp-shooter."

"Well, it's settled then." Kim declared, ruffling Usopp's curls. The sniper squawked in protest and tried to bat her hands away. "Welcome to the crew, my dear sharp-shooter. You should teach me how to shoot a pistol sometime."

The trio of seventeen year olds drifted back into the galley for lunch (made by Zoro, much to everyone's surprise; Kim guessed being a bachelor must have taught him a few things during his time on his own), the boys chattering up a storm as they all crowded around the table. Kim squeezed her way between them, trying to avoid Nami's side of the table due to all the papers she had scattered around her for mapmaking and reference.

"Okay," Usopp said once he was halfway through his bowl of soup. Luffy looked up from his third helping to listen curiously. "You can be the captain... but if you ever show any cowardice I'll take over in a heartbeat!"

"Whatever you want," Luffy chuckled, confident he would never waver in his duties as captain. It wouldn't matter anyways in terms of rank among crew members. Zoro was second in the chain link of command so Usopp would have to wait until his turn if he ever wanted to be captain. However, Kim wasn't so sure who came after Zoro in the hierarchy of the crew.

"I've been thinking," Luffy suddenly said, pushing away his now empty bowl. Kim stood, collecting all the empty dishes and depositing them in the sink. She tended to be the one who mopped the floor and did the dishes around the ship, a force of habit she had picked up from back home with her brothers. Kaine knew practically nothing about cleaning and once Ken moved out, Kim had been forced to pick up around the house (she had, occasionally, roped Kaine into cleaning the bathrooms but that was another story). So doing these things was a great comfort to her. "We need one more crewmember before we head to the Grandline..."

Kim hummed in agreement, thinking of their future cook. Zoro, Usopp and Nami seemed to be thinking along the same lines and made their own comments about how nice it would be to have someone around with that particular skill. Luffy, however, declared that they were in need of a musician, steadfast in his belief that a pirate was only complete with a musical member.

"I thought you were going to say something smart for once!" Nami exclaimed irritably, reaching across the table to smack Luffy upside the head.

"Pirates have to sing, don't they?!" the rubberman protested, clutching at his head and scooting closer to Zoro for protection against Nami's ire. The swordsman didn't look too happy himself, but didn't avoid his captain's presence.

There was a sudden crash outside and Kim shrieked in shock, dropping the bowl she had been holding into the hot, soapy water in the sink.

"COME OUT AND FIGHT, YOU BASTARDS! I'LL SLAUGHTER YOU ALL FOR TRYING TO KILL ME AND MY PARTNER!"

This time the crew really did jump into action, weapons being pulled out of the woodwork and the lot of them rushing out the door to defend the Merry-Go from attack. The boys were at the front of their attack formation, Usopp's brow furrowed at the sight of someone destroying pieces of Kaya's gift to the StrawHats.

Johnny, one of the bounty hunter pair who had once traveled with Zoro, glared at the crew and kicked over some more barrels. Luffy launched himself at the dark haired swordsman, sending him flying across the deck and into the mast. Zoro was content to let Luffy handle the situation himself, the green haired man's brow furrowed in an attempt to figure out just why Johnny looked so familiar to him.

Luffy jumped back to stand with the rest of his crew just outside the galley door, adjusting his hat with a frown. "What the heck was that all about?" he wondered.

Zoro's eyes lit up in recognition and he pushed past the others to lean over the railing. "Johnny? What are you doing here?"

"Aniki!" the bounty hunter cried in surprise, pushing himself up with some help from the mast.

The StrawHats blinked at their first mate in surprise. Zoro knew this guy?

Kim schooled her features into the proper expression for the occasion, not wanting to seem like she knew any more than the others did.

"What's going on?" Zoro asked, heading down the steps to the lower deck so he could give Johnny a proper greeting. The two hugged like the 'bros' they were, all masculine like. "Where's Yosaku?"

"That's just it," Johnny exclaimed, voice cracking with grief. "Listen, I think Yosaku's dying!"

Zoro paled and then demanded help getting the other half of the bounty hunting pair up on deck with them. Seeing that Johnny was a friend of Zoro's, Luffy jumped to help, dragging Usopp along with them.

The girls lingered outside the galley, watching as Yosaku was brought up and laid out on deck. Kim grimaced at the sight and went to get the first aid kit and set out a couple of extra pallets in the boys' cabin for Johnny and Yosaku. She wasn't much help most of the time, but at least she could do a few things like cooking and cleaning and bandaging some minor wounds, even if they would eventually get someone with professional experience to replace her later on.

She reemerged on deck just as Luffy tried to shove the first lime in Yosaku's mouth. She caught the rubber man's wrist and eyed him disapprovingly, gently pushing aside the boys who were trying their best to help (they thought it was their fault that Yosaku was dying, seeing as they were the ones who'd fired at the rock Johnny and Yosaku had been resting on) and knelt beside the aqua haired man. She set to work on bandaging him up, occasionally getting Usopp and Luffy to help adjust Yosaku into a more manageable position as they listened to Nami explain about scurvy.

"Wow," Luffy said, looking at Nami with admiration. "You're so smart Nami!"

"I've always known you were a brilliant woman," Usopp nodded sagely.

Nami snapped at them, irritated that they didn't even know the basics of sailing at sea. Actually, a lot of people on sea didn't know a lot about sailing. The whole crew most likely wouldn't have made it far without their precious navigator. Kim found herself appreciating Nami more than ever.

The brunette's hand shot out as Yosaku attempted to jump up, Kim glaring the bounty hunter into submission. He lay back meekly as Johnny hopped around them in joy. He spun around with a grin.

"Introduction time!" Johnny declared, crossing his arms in an attempt to look cool. Yosaku reached for his cigarettes but thought better of it when Kim glared at him even further. She was scary. "I'm Johnny and this is Yosaku."

"We're Zoro-aniki's old bounty hunting partners." Yosaku chirped in, sitting up and dipping his head respectively at the crew. "Pleased to meet you. I can't thank you guys enough. I thought that I was a goner!"

Johnny grinned, shaking his head disbelievingly, sitting next to his partner. "I still can't believe it. Pirate Hunter Zoro became a pirate himself."

The shock of the statement seemed to be too much for Yosaku to take and he proceeded to pass out, scaring the hell out of Zoro and Johnny.

The unconscious man was moved into one of the bunks in the boys' cabin and the crew plus Johnny regrouped out on deck, ready to discuss the means on how to obtain a decent cook. Kim declared that they needed a blond one to complete the crew's array of hair colors. The fact that she preferred blonds over anything had nothing to do with her request.

"Aniki!" Johnny said suddenly, raising his hand like a schoolboy. Zoro acknowledged him and the bounty hunter grinned. "If you need a cook, I can help you find one!

There's an ocean going restaurant two or three days of sailing from here. Sometimes they get some rough customers because the place is so close to the Grandline. They even say that a terrifying man has visited there... a man with hawk-like eyes. I can guide you there if you'd like."

Luffy accepted Johnny's offer and soon the bounty hunters' boat was tied to the back of the Going Merry. Zoro went up into the crow's nest, eyes distant and body language telling everyone to just leave him alone.

However, Kim wanted to speak with him. She really did, but she hesitated with her hand on the rigging leading to the top of the mast, biting her lip. Eventually, she let go, heading away from the deck and back into the girls' cabin. If Zoro didn't want company, then Kim wouldn't give it to him... no matter how much she wanted to.

 


	26. Old Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim reunites with someone she really didn't wish to.

Thump… thump… thump…

THUNK!

"Godamn it, Johnny!" Kim bellowed, throwing herself out of bed and lunging for the little wooden panel that served as a sort of window between the sleeping cabins (which only the girls could open, thankfully). She flung it open and continued to shout, eyes flashing with anger. "If you don't stop that racket right  _fucking_ now, I'll take your sunglasses and carve out some valuable organ of yours!"

Johnny squeaked and clutched at Yosaku, the bounty hunter pair staring at Kim with no small amount of fear. The dark haired teen looked like something out of his nightmares, shrouded in darkness with glowing eyes and radiating anger.

Kim was extremely aggravated. She'd been up all night on watch and had just gone to bed when the others woke up. What little sleep she'd managed to get had been troubled (she wasn't sure if she was having nightmares seeing as she couldn't remember just what it was she was dreaming about) and then Johnny had gone to visit his partner in the boys' cabin, creating enough racket to wake up Kim. Needless to say, she wasn't in a very good mood.

She dressed quickly, shrugging on a plain white button-up over a darker tank top. Her jeans hung low on her hips for comfort and she fiddled with her belt as she exited the girls' cabin, slipping on a pair of flip-flops as she headed out on deck.

"We're here!" Luffy shouted, almost flinging himself over the railing in his excitement – he would have gone overboard had Zoro not grabbed onto him at the last second. Kim joined the pair at the rail, sinking into a slouch beside the boys and dropping her head to rest heavily on Luffy's shoulder. The rubberman wound an arm around her waist without much thought to the action.

It was nice being in a crew that was so open about affections. Kim missed the closeness that came with her friends and brothers back home. If anything, the skinship she shared with the others was one of the few things that hadn't needed adjustment to.

"It's a giant fish!" Nami gaped, headed toward the front of the ship for a better look, Usopp trailing behind her with Yosaku and Johnny, the latter of which gave Kim a wide berth of space. Once the red head got close enough, Kim reached out absentmindedly, tugging her into the embrace with her and Luffy. Nami stiffened uncertainly, unaccustomed to being part of all the affections the original three shared amongst each other.

 _She'll have to get used to this,_  Kim thought, burying her face in Nami's hair.  _She's really soft and next to Luffy, she's a perfect cuddle-buddy._

"Guys," Usopp said worriedly, tugging on Luffy's vest. Kim reached out and pulled him into the hug too, eliciting a yelp from the sniper. Zoro joined them a moment later at Luffy's insistence, the swordsman trapped in an inescapable vice grip on his captain's part. They must have looked a sight, all piled on one another like they were. "Guys! There's a Marine ship coming up fast beside us!" Usopp managed to squeak out, looking rather embarrassed by the close proximity. Nami ripped herself out of the embrace quickly, using the Marines as an excuse, and pulled Usopp along with her.

Luffy and Kim pouted at the loss but quickly turned their attentions on Zoro, smothering their swordsman with their sudden need to snuggle. Perhaps it was catching because Zoro didn't protest much, grunting lightly as he draped an arm over each of the younger teens' shoulders.

"Where'd that come from?" Luffy wondered, crossing his arms and frowning at the approaching ship.

"I don't know," Usopp said nervously, hiding behind the mast. "But I hope they don't attack us!"

Johnny and Yosaku were also hiding, but for a reason different than Usopp's. They were bounty hunters. They weren't meant to be seen in the company of the pirates and scalawags they were supposed to be bringing in for rewards.

Kim yawned and pressed her body closer to Zoro's, less concerned with the events going on around her and more concerned with sleeping. She whined half-heartedly as Luffy pulled away from the group cuddle to confront Lieutenant Fullbody, the pink haired Marine who would later insult Sanji to the point of getting the blond to attack. Kim wound her arms around Zoro's waist and let herself doze lightly, the swordsman being the only thing keeping Kim still standing.

Kim shrieked in alarm as a canon boomed not too far from them and she wrenched herself away from Zoro, stumbling away from him in her confusion.

"Look out!" Nami cried, catching onto the train of events before they happened.

Luffy's eyes widened in shock as the canon ball bounced off his stomach (he had stretched himself the moment before, using himself as a slingshot to deflect the attack on the Merry-go), a piece of Merry's figure head crumbling beneath his fist and causing his body to snap back into place. In the same moment, he slammed into Kim, sending her flying toward the restaurant with a scream.

Thankfully, the front doors were open and her luck must have been good that day, seeing as the worst injury she received came from her banging her hip on the doorframe as she flew through the doors.

She had expected to be thrown into a table or two and generally become a sort of human canon ball in the process. However, that was most definitely not the case seeing as she landed on something soft and warm and rather tan.

Kim yelped in alarm, jumping off Patty (the rude, large chef from the Baratie who had a tendency to toss out customers and had Popeye the Sailorman arms), collapsing back to the floor a moment later when a fierce bolt of pain shot through her hip.

"Sorry!" she cried hurriedly, watching with wide eyes as Patty stood back up and brushed himself off, looking extremely annoyed with her. Kim knew she should have just stayed in bed today (but what a dull human she'd be, eating and working and sleeping her life away!). "We… had a bit of an accident outside."

Patty didn't look as if he believed her and began stalking up to her. Kim scurried backyards, ignoring the throb in her hip in order to crabwalk away from the angry chef.

"Kim!"

The brunette's head whipped around as she found her captain being dragged into the restaurant by a hoard of irritable men, cooks of the Baratie. Given the choice between an angry Patty and a hoard, Kim chose the hoard.

She turned back to Patty and smiled nervously, pulling herself to her feet with a wince. "Um, well, like I said. Accident. Terribly sorry 'bout that. Uh, it won't happen again so I'm just gonna go follow my captain to his doom... Ciao!"

She darted off after the group headed upstairs, leaving Patty gaping after her.

Luffy was deposited in Zeff's room (the Head Chef) and Kim lingered outside the door, listening to the two of them bicker back and forth as they argued over how Luffy would go about with paying for the damages done to the restaurant. Ignoring the two men in the room, Kim wandered down the empty hall a bit further, pulling the fabric of her jeans away from her hip so she could get a better look at the damage done to her body.

It didn't look too bad at the moment apart from a slight scrape and a few drops of blood, but the surrounding skin was extremely tender and would most likely form into a giant bruise later on.

She bit her lip and prodded at it lightly, knowing it wouldn't really do anything but make her hurt worse.

"I don't think that's a very good idea," a familiar voice chuckled lightly from behind her and Kim turned in surprise, a scowl forming on her face.

It was Akane.

The red head smiled at her ruefully and leaned against the wall, giving her a considering rake-over with his eyes. He looked just the same as he had last time Kim saw him back in Orange Town, if a bit more cheerful and sophisticated. He was wearing a casual suit, the jacket buttons undone and tie done sloppily.

"Oh, it's you." Kim rolled her eyes, pulling her clothes back into place and turning to frown at her once-attacker turned odd ally (she still refused to think of him as a friend even though he was no longer trying to murder her; she also remained in the mindset that she was either dead or in a coma and once she woke up everything would be fine because there's no way she could travel through worlds and see all the things she'd seen as of late), arms crossing defensively across her chest.

"You were supposed to let me know when your egg hatched," Akane said, grinning at her tone and not looking at all annoyed with her.

Kim scowled. "Why would I willingly talk to you? The only reason I'm still standing here is because I know you'd track me down and bug me until I stopped to talk. Quite frankly, I'm not in the mood for that at the moment so let's get this over with and you can tell me whatever the hell it is you came to say."

Akane frowned at her, but did nothing more. "You're in a mood, aren't you? If that's how you want to be about it... I came to warn you. Some strange things are going to start happening now that your chimera's hatched. Just go along with them. Open doors, listen to the whispers on the wind - whatever it is you humans try to avoid on a regular basis. Basically, be like that Doctor you like to watch. The one in the leather jacket, mind you, he's the best one in my opinion. You can't avoid what's in front of you by not looking, even if it's not very pleasant." His expression changed and Kim thought he looked rather sad, almost... regretful. "I like you, Kimiya Leonore. I won't make the same mistake again and let you go out the way others did. So trust me... even though you don't. You're not the only one affected by your fate."

He moved, so quickly that Kim never saw him until he was two inches from her and threading his fingers through her hair, ruffling it briefly before he was gone again. There was nothing left behind to suggest he'd ever been there other than Kim's memory.

She glanced around, wondering how she should feel.

She didn't like Akane, but when someone wore such a look of sadness on their face, you couldn't help but pity them.

* * *

 


	27. Preferences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim prefers blonds. Usopp and Zoro prefer someone less obnoxious.

Zoro kind of liked this blond chef. He didn't seem to take crap from anyone (even if they were Marines, the supposed higher ups of this world) and Zoro could really appreciate that trait in a person. The guy had some moves and he'd been able to take out that iron-fisted Lieutenant like it was nothing. There was also a bit of compassion in him, seeing as he went out of his way to feed a starving fugitive that no one else seemed to care for. It reminded him of Kim and Zoro wondered just when the world got such caring people like her and the blond chef and that Kaya girl and  _Luffy_. It was strange seeing this breed of people starting to pop up all over the place.

However, Zoro quickly lost most of his respect for the blond chef when he came out and started fawning over women. It didn't really bother him that he was a big flirt, but when he started treating women like they were delicate little flowers with nothing strong about them, it started to grate on Zoro's nerves.

Then Kim entered the dining room, descending the stairs with a slight limp in her gait and Zoro was there in a second, not wanting to watch as she was fawned over by the blond, and quickly pulled her over to the table that he and the others (minus Johnny and Yosaku) had been seated at after the fight.

She glanced at him with surprise, but allowed him to tug her along, hurrying her pace to match his own. "Hi guys," she said cheerfully, sitting herself between Nami and Zoro. They had already ordered their food and were nearly finished eating when she arrived. Only one of the plates went untouched and she grinned when Zoro pushed it in front of her.

"We went ahead and ordered," the swordsman grunted in explanation, pointedly avoiding her eyes so he could watch the blond chef cautiously. "Saw this on the menu and thought you might want it when you got here."

Kim thanked him, pulling him into a quick hug before digging into her plate – something rather spicy looking and filled with slices of chicken. It tasted sort of like the food from the Mexican restaurant she and her family liked to visit back home. She was about half-way through it when Luffy arrived, looking like a mix between hurt mad annoyed.

"Hey there, Chore Boy!" Nami grinned, waving at him in greeting.

"I heard you've got to work here for a year!"

"Can we change the flag in the meantime?" Zoro teased.

Kim rolled her eyes at them good-naturedly and turned to Luffy, holding her arms open for a hug. She was feeling rather clingy today and planned on using that to her full advantage.

Luffy embraced her quickly, whispering an apology into her hair before glaring at the others. "Don't you think it's a little unfair to be enjoying yourselves while I'm suffering?!"

Everyone grinned at his anger and Zoro turned to away to hide his smug expression. "True, but we have rights too, you know."

Luffy scowled and stuck his finger up his nose, flicking a booger into Zoro's glass of water in retaliation. Kim's shoulders shook with laughter and Nami nearly fell over from her giggles, waiting to see what would happen next.

"This restaurant is great," Zoro shrugged, raising the glass to his lips. "It's seems unfair… BUT WHY DON'T YOU DRINK YOUR OWN SNOT!" He changed the direction of the glass at the last second, grabbing Luffy around the shoulders and yanking him down in order to force the water down his throat. Luffy sputtered in horror, looking completely disgusted and gagged like he was going to be sick.

Nami, Usopp and Kim all burst into laughter, the table shaking with the force of their mirth and Kim dropped her head to the table, crying out in surprise as her head impacted with more force than she planned, sending the others into a renewed fit of snickers as Zoro shouted at Luffy.

However, in his distraction, Zoro failed to notice Sanji's approach, the blond chef drawn to the ladies at the table.

Kim's laughter stopped abruptly as Sanji spun around her and Nami, spouting out declarations of love and destiny. The brunette gaped at the man, raking her eyes over his lean figure and striking features.

 _Oh, wow. He's much prettier than I'd expected him to be._  She thought, feeling herself flush under Sanji's attentions. Zoro threw himself back into his chair and fixed him with a scowl as the Head Chef managed to draw Sanji's attention away. Kim smirked as Zoro's annoyed stare turned on her and she shrugged helplessly, feeling unremorseful for her appreciation of Sanji's figure.

A girl liked what she liked and Sanji just happened to be blond and have nice hips, which was what Kim liked. And she liked it a lot.

She snatched her plate and glass up hurriedly when she saw Sanji moving closer to Zeff as their argument intensified, the Head Chef going so far as to throw Sanji across the dining room… right into the StrawHat crew's table. Kim winced sympathetically as Sanji struggled to pull himself from the wreckage of the table, blond hair in disarray everywhere but his bangs. Kim envied him and his perfect hair and wondered what kind of hair products he used to make it stay in place like that.

Zeff threw Sanji one last glance, sneering at his adopted son before disappearing back into the kitchen as Sanji sat up and began yelling at him. "I don't care how many times you tell me to leave! I'll stay here until you die! YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?!"

"No you won't. I'll live for a hundred years!" Zeff said, getting in the last shot as he disappeared from view.

Luffy whistled through his teeth and grinned at Sanji. "Look at that! You've got permission from the owner so you can come with us now!"

"Get back to work!" Sanji snapped, kicking Luffy back in the direction of the kitchen. The rubberman pouted at him, sending his nakama a pleading look before leaving. Sanji frowned at him until he was gone, and then turned to the girls with a pleasant smile. "I am so sorry about that," he murmured, putting the table back in place and leaning around Kim to fix the tablecloth.

She grinned, eyes glued to his backside. "It's fine."

Thunk.

Zoro kicked her under the table and she bit back a cry of pain. Those boots were hard. So she kicked him back, digging her heel into his thigh and eliciting a grunt from the swordsman and a muttered swear. She smirked at him and returned to her ogling.

Sanji was flitting between the girls, setting out elegant wineglasses and dishes of fruit in front of them that made Kim's mouth water.  _Great! A meal_ and _a show to go with it._

The boys looked rather annoyed with the blond chef and Usopp protested the treatment the girls were receiving. Kim and Nami stuck their tongues out at him when Sanji turned to intimidate them, the pair of girls giggling covertly with each other.

Nami watched them argue for a moment longer before clasping her hands together and adopting a worried look. "Oh, please don't fight over us!" she cried, catching Sanji's attention and ending his argument with Usopp. Kim had to hand it to her; Nami was slick and knew how to handle people in order to get what she wanted. She probably thought that if Usopp and Sanji continued to argue, the sniper would probably get them kicked out of the restaurant.

Sanji melted under her pleas instantly. "Of course~!"

Nami smiled like the Cheshire Cat and twined her arms around his neck, pulling him in close. Kim grinned to herself, leaning on the table and batting her eyes at Sanji.

If Nami could play that game, so could she.

"Chef, dear." Nami pouted, making her eyes go wide and shiny. "The food here is a little expensive…"

"Don't worry, ladies! For you it's free~!" Sanji said blissfully, eyes flickering between Nami's eyes and her cleavage, which seemed to be a big distraction for him.

The girls giggled and yanked the blond into a group hug, practically making the blond slid to the floor in a chef-puddle.

Zoro and Usopp growled at them, both looking extremely put out as Sanji spun away, a trail of figurative hearts trailing after him.

* * *

 


	28. Out of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The days are up and a dark figure has emerged on the horizon.

The crew spent two days waiting for Luffy at the restaurant. They spent their time in various ways, Nami holed up in the galley when she wasn't out getting a free meal in the restaurant and Usopp working on some new weapon or another. Johnny and Yosaku were busy hamming up their injuries from their little scrap with the Marines, both bandaged to the nines and moping around the deck as their whined pitifully.

Kim scowled at them, a light layer of sweat making her face gleam in the sunlight and her chest heaving with exertion. She shot the boys a death glare every time their eyes were drawn to the sight of her breasts rising and falling beneath the thin tank top she was wearing or whenever she caught them ogling her legs. She wasn't dressed like this to show off. She moved faster with less on her and a tank top and shorts were perfect for moving around in quickly.

"Kim," Zoro said lowly, eyes determinedly fixed on her face for fearing of straying elsewhere.

Kim huffed in acknowledgement and lifted her arms shakily, moving back into the kata Zoro had been teaching her. After her spectacular failure at fighting in Syrup Village, Zoro had taken it upon herself to teach her a few things about combat, even if he wasn't too skilled with a spear. Still, blades were his specialty and he positively itched at the chance to wield Kim's handsome naginata.

The swordsman moved behind her, eyeing her stance critically and reaching out every now and then to adjust her posture, barking at her sharply if she began to falter. Zoro wasn't a mean teacher – he just wanted Kim to do the best she could, even if it meant pushing her.

"You're not holding it right," he muttered, moving behind her and adjusting her arms. Kim froze at the sudden press against her back, but relaxed a moment later, brow furrowed as she listened to Zoro's cool instruction, studiously ignoring any reactions her body had to his.

She was learning, not flirting.

"Guys!" Usopp shouted, leaping off the upper deck to land in front of them, stumbling slightly as his legs received the full force of his impact on deck. "There's a creepy ship approaching! It looks like Don Krieg's flag!" The sniper looked terrified and the wounded bounty hunter pair, shot up from where they were lying on deck, begging for the crew to set sail away from the approaching ship.

Zoro frowned, stepping away from Kim and moving to watch the raggedy ship cutting through the waters like a ghost. Kim gaped at it, taking in the enormous size of the vessel and all the damage done to it, pieces of the mast splintered, the figure head broken to pieces and the sails and flags ripped to shreds. They fluttered eerily in the breeze and she shivered, slipping up behind Zoro and clutching at his shirt worriedly.

He spared her a glance before reaching back and catching her hand with his own, watching with a steely expression as she ship anchored next to the restaurant. His grip tightened as Krieg exited the ship, Gin practically carrying his captain and the swordsman pulled both Usopp and Kim behind him protectively.

Once Krieg and Gin had made it into the Baratie completely, Zoro tugged on Kim's hand, pulling her after him.

"Come on you two. Let's go make sure Luffy's got some backup if he picks a fight." he grunted, making Kim laugh breathlessly. She was still a little winded from her 'training'. She beamed at him and reached back to grab Usopp's hand as well, the sniper needing a little more incentivize to follow along with them.

"We're going to die," the curly haired boy moaned pitifully, struggling to get his hand out of Kim's.

The brunette smiled cheekily and yanked him forward eagerly. "Oh, hush up you whiny-baby. Loosen up! You might even find yourself having fun."

Usopp didn't look like he agreed.

The trio poked their heads around the side of the doorway, watching with varying levels of fascination at the on goings inside.

Kim squeaked in alarm as Sanji was suddenly tossed across the room by a freshly fed Krieg and Usopp grabbed her hand instinctively, eyes wide with terror as the captain grabbed his own crewmember by the throat.

"Gin!" Luffy shouted, looking murderous.

"Nice restaurant." Krieg grunted. "I'll take it."

Silence fell over the gathered chefs and Kim thought the dining room looked almost barren without the patrons who'd been there only moments ago, the lot of them fleeing when Krieg arrived.

Carne, the chef Patty was always fighting with, broke it with his protest, prompting the rest of the chefs to do the same. Luffy repeated Gin's name, concern for the mistreated crewman overruling any thoughts for the safety of the restaurant at the moment.

Krieg smirked to himself and cracked his knuckles, reminding Kim of some of the more, over cocky football players she'd encountered back home. Not all of them had been that way, but there were a few who liked to fight more than others, radiating the same sense of 'I'm-such-a-big-dog' that Krieg was putting out.

"My ship's a mess and I need a new one." Krieg sneered, looking over the collected chefs with disgust. "I've got about a hundred men still alive and starving on my ship. They're dying from injuries and starvation. They need a hundred rations of food and water. You chefs will provide that and, when you're finished, we'll take this ship."

"You expect us to feed an army of men who'll turn on us the moment their stomachs are full? Are you nuts?! We refuse!" Carne snapped, brow furrowed in anger.

Krieg laughed obnoxiously. "You refuse? It's not a request. It's an order. Don't defy me." The captain's face turned dangerous, teeth bared in anger. The chefs froze up with shock and fear and Usopp practically turned to stone beside Kim.

She rubbed his shoulder, trying her best to comfort him when she was just as scared as he was. Even though she was pretty sure of how things were going to play out, she still was a bit fearful. After all, what if something changed?

Gin whimpered into the floorboards, crying out apologies to Sanji while Patty shouted at him and at Sanji. The blond ignored Patty with experienced ease and ducked tried to duck into the kitchen, intent on preparing a hundred meals for the starving pirates.

Zoro took advantage of the distraction, slipping his hand back into Kim's and pulling her into the restaurant, the brunette tugging a terrified Usopp along with them.

They sat at a nearby table, Kim releasing the boys' hands in order to prop her chin up on her palm, watching everything with curiosity. Her eyes widened as the chefs surrounded Sanji, pistols aimed at him.

The blond took it with ease, spreading his arms out to provide his coworkers with a better target. "If you wanna stop me," he said, smirking in a way that sent a flutter through Kim's chest. "Then fire."

"Sexy," the brunette murmured, a smile spreading over her lips and Zoro scowled at her. She ignored him.

"I know they're nasty pieces of work, but I feed people. I don't judge them. Things get too complicated that way." Sanji continued, smirk fading into a hard expression, the blond glaring down his colleagues. "If a man's hungry... I feed him! That's a cook's job. So what's the problem with it!?"

Patty had obviously had enough with the chef and with Krieg, launching himself at Sanji first, landing a harsh blow on the blond's head, then turning to give what might have been an inspiring speech to the other chefs if Patty didn't ruin the whole thing off by calling the cannonball fired at Krieg's head a meatball. Kim could only take so much foolishness before determining how much stupidity a person contained. And right now Patty was being pretty stupid.

"Dang," the large chef smirked, looking at Krieg's fallen form smugly. "I busted the doors. Zeff's gonna skin me." Carne shook his head, commending Patty on his work. Sanji just rolled his eyes, asking about the rest of Krieg's men. Patty had another stupid suggestion for them as well. "How about we slather the ship with butter and set it on fire."

"Sounds tasty," a deep, angry voice rumbled from the wreckage of the door. "But that last dish was hardly a four-star meal!"

Kim grimaced at the pun and wondered why all the villains' one-liners sucked so badly.

"Whoa," Luffy gaped, watching with wide eyes as Krieg rose from the rubble. "He's all shiny now!"

The chefs moved forward together, attempting to rush Krieg as a whole, but were blasted back when Krieg's armor suddenly shifted to reveal a mass of automatic of guns. Zoro grabbed his younger crewmates and shoved them beneath the table quickly, practically bashing their heads into the floor in his haste to protect them. Both Usopp and Kim clutched at Zoro in their panic, clinging to their protector with wide, terrified eyes. He almost regretted bringing them in with him.

They stayed beneath the table after the gunfire ended, waiting until they were all clear before peeking above the table again. Usopp scrambled back into his chair, fears forgotten temporarily as he listened to Krieg go on about Zeff like the fanboy he was. Kim whimpered and pressed herself further into the floor when Zoro tried to pull her back up, the girl refusing to move from the safety of the table.

Zoro grimaced and tugged at her more gently, managing to pull her into a firm embrace and simply holding her until she calmed down enough to emerge from beneath the table. She felt a phantom twinge in her left arm and remembered the pain of a gunshot wound.

She hated the sounds of gunshots.

Instead of returning her to her seat, Zoro picked her up and placed the brunette in his lap, wrapping an arm around her waist in a display of casual comfort.

Sanji saw this and frowned at the pair. Kim didn't seem to notice, attention fixed on Luffy as the rubberman stepped forward to confront Krieg, but Zoro caught the frown and glared right back at the blond. They held each other's gaze before turning their attentions to Luffy instead.

The rubberman put a hand on his hip and pointed at Krieg threateningly with the other, the apron 'round his waist making him look like a scolding mother. "Hold it! I'm going to be King of the Pirates! Not you!"

The chefs cried out in horror, watching their impulsive and oddly endearing fool of a chore boy approach his supposed doom.

"Kid! Stay out of this!" Patty bellowed, sweating nervously. "You're gonna get yourself killed."

Luffy grinned at him. "I can't. Not when it's something like this!"

"You want to say that again?" Krieg said dangerously, eyes narrowed at Luffy. "You'd better take that back, brat."

"No way! I'm only stating the truth!" Luffy laughed, enraging Krieg.

"This isn't some game!"

"Duh. I'm not stupid."

"He can't be serious!" one of the chefs moaned. "The Grandline was too much for even Krieg. There's no way a kid like him'll ever make it!"

"Can't we just call this all off?" Usopp begged, turning to Kim and Zoro for support.

The swordsman shushed him, shoving him away with a frown. "Quiet. Don't get involved with this."

Kim giggled, reaching out to tug on one of Usopp's stray curls. "Don't be silly. The Grandline ain't so bad."

Luffy turned to them in surprise along with everyone else, a warm grin spreading over the captain's face at the sight of his nakama.

The trio turned to him, Kim smiling pleasantly while Zoro smirked and Usopp attempted to form a serious expression.

"Time to fight?" the sniper asked in a gruff voice, knees trembling beneath the table.

"I'm willing to lend a hand." Zoro grinned, leaning back in his chair and shooting Sanji a challenging look as he toyed with Kim's hair.

The brunette grinned and twirled her fingers in a wave. "'Sup? We kicking ass or what?"

"Zoro, Usopp, Kim! You're still here? I was gonna handle this on my own..."

Kim shrugged, not caring if Luffy did what he wanted or not. Usopp looked relieved and Zoro kicked him in admonishment beneath the table, wanting him to act more enthusiastic in supporting Luffy.

Krieg laughed at them. "That's your crew?! Pathetic!"

Luffy scowled and held up two fingers. "Wrong! There's two more!"

Krieg growled. "Don't be so cocksure kid! I went into the Grandline with a fleet of 5,000 men and we were smashed to bits within seven days!"

Kim frowned and leant forward a bit, raising her voice to be heard over the exclamations of disbelief the chefs were voicing. "Five or five thousand, it doesn't matter what you go in with. You'll die if you're not prepared for what you'll find on that sea. The Grandline isn't like any of the Blues. It's more dangerous and even the geography is warped, especially once you get further in! You can't get around in it with simple maps and compasses. You need a Log Pose and a heluva good navigator and men who can handle the journey! And you need to listen! I'm willing to bet none of you listened to any advice you were given before you decided to trek off into the unknown. That's just stupid and everything you went through could have been avoided if you'd only planned better!" Her eyes flashed. "We're not afraid of the Grandline. We welcome it."

Luffy grinned proudly and Zoro ruffled her hair. Beside them, Usopp sat up a little straighter, feeling somewhat comforted by Kim's confident words.

Krieg looked murderous and also a little contemplative. "Watch your mouth, little girl. That kind of impudence will get you killed." He stepped forward threateningly and Kim stared him down stubbornly, anxiety only evident by the way her grip tightened on Zoro's shoulder. The swordsman gave her waist a squeeze to remind her she wasn't alone in facing down Krieg.

"..." Luffy narrowed his eyes at Krieg, daring him to make a move against his Chronicler or any of his nakama.

"Listen carefully," Krieg shouted. "I'll give a chance. I'm going to take this food to my men and when I return, anyone who doesn't wanna die had better be gone. All I want is the ship and the captain's log. And maybe that girl if she knows so much about the Grandline."

Zoro's grip tightened around Kim's waist and Luffy's expression turned deadly. "Like hell," Zoro growled lowly, pulling Kim against him possessively.

Krieg sneered again, shouldering the giant bag of food Zeff had brought out while the trio of StrawHats had been under the table. "If anyone's eager to die, stick around. I'll give you a burial at sea. Your choice."

Silence fell over the restaurant and Kim felt something cold and heavy settle in the pit of her stomach, shivering slightly as everyone turned to look at her in horror.

Why did she open her big mouth?

* * *

 


	29. Darkest Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The darkest blood is that which stains the hands of a friend.

Quiet reigned over the dining room, everyone rather shaken by Krieg's threatening words. At least, almost everyone. Luffy drifted over to the table with his nakama and sat atop it, settling himself in Kim's abandoned chair and leaning forward to rumple Kim's hair comfortingly. He smiled kindly and Kim couldn't help but return it with a weak one of her own.

"Don't listen to him," the rubberman commanded, a fierce look in his eyes. "I'll kill him if he even tries to take you away. You're my nakama." He smiled again, pulling her in for a brief hug.

"I'm sorry, Sanji!" Gin groaned, huddled on the floor where Krieg had left him moments before. "I never thought that he... would do something like this!"

"It's not your fault, sailor." Zeff grunted, earning himself shocked looks from Gin and the rest of the chefs. "The cooks helped with bringing this on us, as well."

"Are you crazy?!" Patty bellowed. "Why are you siding with Sanji?!"

Patty's words once again sparked the rest of the workers into voicing their protest, the lot of them badmouthing Sanji for helping the enemy and accusing him of trying to sabotage Zeff.

"SHUT UP YOU FOOLS!" the Head Chef bellowed. "Have any of you been truly hungry before? Have you gone without food or water for days without any hope of survival? Have you any idea what agony that is?"

The chefs fell silent, staring at either Zeff or Sanji with confusion. "..."

"If you want to keep moaning, then just leave!" Zeff jabbed his finger at the back door, eyes narrowed warningly.

The chefs began to murmur again, taking up their arms in the form of giant cooking utensils as tall as they were.

Gin called them crazy, prompting Sanji to finally stand, lighting up a cigarette and kicking a table back on its feet.

"Gin," Sanji said slowly, settling on the table. "Listen. It's a cook's duty to feed those who come to them with hunger. But soon, I'll be facing men with full stomachs. I won't hold back against them. If they try to take over this ship... they're going to die and that goes for you too. Got it?"

"See?" Luffy exclaimed, leaning toward his crew with a large grin. "He's tough, right? I want him!"

"I like him too," Kim laughed, relaxing slightly. "When he joins, we'll have the best food in the world and someone besides me and Nami with some fashion sense."

"Who cares?!" Usopp raved, tugging on Luffy's arm insistently. "We've gotta get of here before Don Krieg comes back!"

"Relax," Zoro rolled his eyes, yanking Usopp back into his seat. "They're wounded and starving. There won't be much of a fight when they're like that."

Kim raised her eyebrow at him. "As I recall, you managed to kick ass when you were beaten and starved."

"And I wasn't at my best," the swordsman grunted, shifting Kim around so his legs didn't fall asleep beneath her. "I could've taken Morgan on if I had been."

"Oh, really?" Kim grinned, eyes sparkling.

"Really," Zoro smirked, leaning back and looking at her arrogantly.

"Well, maybe I'll get to see you next time you take on somebody at full power. Impress me, will ya'?"

"You mean I'm not right now?" he flexed his muscles jokingly and Kim delighted at the side of him they rarely saw. "Seems pretty impressive to me."

Kim laughed, poking him in the stomach. "Oh stop! I'm so impressed I might faint."

Luffy snorted at their interaction and leant forward on the table, eyeing the empty doorway thoughtfully. "Starving or not, you don't have to worry about them. Besides, I've got to fight Krieg sooner or later. Might as well do it now." The rubberman turned his eyes on the only Krieg pirate in the room. "By the way, Gin you said you didn't know anything about the Grandline, but you've been there! You must know something."

"I don't know anything anymore," Gin said, clutching at his head. "I can't tell my dreams from reality anymore. It's all jumbled up in my mind! That man... he appeared so suddenly! He was just one man! How could he destroy fifty ships by himself?!"

A cry of disbelief circled through the room.

"Fifty ships?!"

"One man!"

"Impossible!"

"Krieg's armada was destroyed by one man?!"

Gin shivered. "He showed up out of nowhere and before we knew it, our ships were sinking one after another! If it hadn't been for that storm, we'd have been sent to the bottom of the sea as well!" He gasped. "I don't know if any ships survived. It was so terrible... It was unreal! I don't want to remember that man. That man with such piercing, deadly eyes! Eyes like hers!"

Kim sputtered indignantly, frowning as, yet again, all eyes turned on her. She was tired of being the center of attention and she hadn't even said anything this time!

"Young lady," Zeff said, approaching them and tilting Kim's face up so he could look at her eyes. He frowned as she narrowed them at him. "Yes, I can see why he'd say that. You have eyes rather like him. Like Hawk-Eye." He let Kim go and she settled back against Zoro, glaring around the room. Gin refused to even look in her direction.

"Oh come on!" she cried disbelievingly. "Just because my eyes match Hawk-Eye's doesn't mean I'm going to be like him and wreck the ship! He got his name because of his eyes but his infamy is caused by his skills!"

"Hawk-Eye," Usopp said, brow furrowed in confusion. "Who's that?" Luffy shrugged and Zoro leant forward, picking Kim up and setting her on the table.

"Hawk-Eye... is the man I've been looking for. Johnny said he comes here."

There was a murmur of denial from the cooks, revealing that Johnny had mistaken a drunkard called Red-Eyes for the man Zoro was searching for.

The moss-haired swordsman growled angrily. Settling back into his chair with a huff, Zoro grumbled about stupid bounty hunters and their lies.

"So he beat a whole armada," Sanji shrugged, looking at Gin searchingly. "What'd you do to make him so angry?"

"I don't know! He just attacked!" Gin said desperately.

"Maybe you interrupted his nap." Zeff suggested, completely serious.

Gin seemed to think Zeff wasn't so serious and lashed out at him angrily. "It's not funny! HE MURDERED MY CREWMATES!"

Zeff scowled at him. "I wasn't joking. That's what kind of place the Grandline is. You get killed for even the smallest slight."

"Anything can happen there it seems," Zoro sighed.

Luffy whooped excitedly. "A place where anything can happen! I've got goose bumps just thinking about it!"

"At least think of the danger!" Usopp begged, looking like he agreed with Gin.

"Now I know where to go," Zoro said, leaning back in his chair and propping his legs up between Kim and Luffy. "The Grandline is where I'll find him."

Sanji looked at them from the corner of his eye, pulling a deep drag from his cigarette.

"You're fools." the blond said, blowing out a cloud of smoke as he spoke. "You'll get killed as soon as you get there."

"Maybe so, but don't insult us." Zoro said, looking over at the chef. "The day I decided to be the World's Greatest Swordsman was the day I stopped caring if I lived or died. Nobody can call me a fool but myself. I've got my reasons for heading to the Grandline."

"That place is my ticket home," Kim agreed, eyes ghosting over with the thought of her brothers.

"I've got reasons too!" Luffy chirped, steadfast in his resolve.

Even Usopp relaxed a fraction, crossing his arms across his chest firmly. "As a man, I must agree with Zoro."

Said swordsman clunked him on the side of the head fondly. "Sure, Usopp."

Sanji scoffed, looking like he wanted to protest further, but turned his head. "Tch, stupid."

Zeff eyed the StrawHats with respect and Gin finally turned to look at them in amazement.

Patty scowled, pushing his way through the crowd of cooks to get closer to Zeff and Sanji. He didn't seem to care as much about all the talk of the Grandline as he did about protecting the restaurant. "You idiots! You realize what kind of trouble we're in?! This ain't the time to be talking about sailing. Those sea-wolves outside are reviving themselves! Don Krieg's pirates are the most savage in the Eastern Blues. If ya' wanna dream, then do it later!"

Kim flushed slightly, but didn't move, staying seated with her nakama as a great roar sounded from outside the ship.

The Krieg pirates were on the move.

The men rushed the ship, running to the rail in preparation of leaping over to the Baratie or swinging over on ropes.

They never made it close.

There was a deafening cracking sound followed by a boom that made Kim cover her ears in pain. The Baratie shook around them and the room tilted violently, sending Kim and Luffy tumbling off the table. Kim grunted as she hit the floor and pushed herself up a moment later, struggling to get to her feet.

Outside, Krieg's ship had cracked in half, reminding Kim of the Titanic.

Luffy jumped to his feet, dragging her up by the arm and together, the group of StrawHat pirates raced for the doors. Behind them, the cooks scrambled to save their beloved restaurant, Zeff bellowing out orders as he assisted them.

"Nami, Johnny and Yosaku were still on the ship!" Zoro bellowed, skidding to a halt behind Kim, nearly knocking her over the railing. She latched onto the rail to stop her momentum and grabbed the back of Luffy's vest, pulling him back before he went overboard as well.

"Are we too late?!" Usopp shouted, scanning his eyes over the waters desperately.

"BROTHER!" Johnny and Yosaku shouted, swimming over to the restaurant. Kim swung herself over the railing, followed by Usopp and Zoro, clinging to the side of the ship as she helped pull in the bounty hunter pair.

"Johnny! Yosaku!" Zoro exclaimed in relief, dragging his friends aboard. "Are you okay?! Where's our ship? Where's Nami!?"

"Nami-aneki... sailed off with the ship and the treasure!"

"WHAT?!

Kim swore loudly, realizing too late that she'd left both her naginata and Jianyu on the Merry-go.

She kicked the wall of the Baratie once she was back over the railing, taking out her frustration in a, most likely, unhealthy manner. She turned to glare out at the sea, but her jaw dropped when she spotted a small raft floating up, an intimidating figure resting on top of it.

She moved away from the rest of her crew to get a better look, Zeff coming to stand beside her as he exited the restaurant.

One of the Krieg pirates let out a terrified wail as he spotted the man.

"IT'S HIM! THE DEVIL WHO SANK OUR SHIPS! HE'S COME TO KILL US ALL!"

Anyone who hadn't already spotted him, whipped around to watch as Hawk-Eye approached, draped over his raft as if he were a king. Kim blinked in astonishment as she realized Zoro occasionally did the same thing. It was odd how much her swordsman reflected the manners of this one.

"That's him?" Patty said disbelievingly, raising his eyebrows. "He doesn't look like he coulda' sank a whole armada by himself!"

"He looks human enough," one of the other chefs admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I can't see a weapon..."

"His weapon is on his back," Zeff said solemnly. The chefs exclaimed in shock, wondering how just a sword could do so much damage. "Hawk-Eye is a master of swords. He is the Greatest Swordsman in the World!"

Kim watched with wide eyes as a hysterical Krieg pirate fired his pistol at Hawk-Eye, the bullets deflected almost lazily with a flick of the giant black sword on Hawk-Eye's back.

"Shooting at him is useless," Zoro said flatly, and Kim squeaked in surprise when she saw him standing on the wreckage of Krieg's ship. She never saw him move, too entranced by the master swordsman to notice.

"Luffy!" she cried, rushing back over to stand with her captain. His eyes were locked on his first mate, but he managed to reach out and grasp Kim's hand comfortingly.

Everyone watched as Zoro and Hawk-Eyes spoke, the younger man eventually challenging the elder to a fight. Mihawk looked bored, as if he got this sort of challenge every day, but accepted and stepped onto the wreckage gracefully. When he pulled out a small dagger and called Zoro pitifully weak, the green haired man took offense, settling into a hostile attack and rushing at the master.

When the Oni-Giri attack was blocked, Johnny and Yosaku shrieked in disbelief. Kim herself was stunned. She had seen Zoro use that move before and both times, the attack had felled his opponents. To see it blocked with just the tip of a dagger was terrifying.

Zoro roared and attacked again only to be thrown back like a child. Hawk-Eye called Zoro weak again, igniting Johnny and Yosaku to lunge for the man in anger.

Luffy dropped Kim's hand and snatched the pair up by the backs of their necks, forcing their heads down onto the railing, preventing them from going after Hawk-Eye. "Control yourselves! This is Zoro's fight!"

Zoro jumped back to his feet again, rushing at Hawk-Eye with his Tiger Hunt attack.

There was a sickening squelch as Hawk-Eye drove his dagger into Zoro's chest.

Kim screamed, her sharp voice ringing out alongside the boys' cries of horror. Zoro grunted, frozen on Hawk-Eye's blade. Blood dripped to the wreckage beneath their feet. Still, Zoro refused to move and Kim felt her eyes sting with unshed tears as he began to give his reasoning for not retreating.

"I can't... If I... retreat even one step... My vow, my ambition... everything - and everyone - I care about will be worth nothing. All my dreams will be lost forever."

"That is what defeat is," Hawk-Eyes acknowledged.

"Heh, I can't retreat." Zoro grunted around the Wado.

"Even if it means death?"

"I prefer death to defeat." Zoro grunted, a snarling grin spreading around the sword's hilt.

Hawk-Eye tipped his head to the side, considering Zoro, and pulled his blade out from Zoro's chest. "Speak your name."

"Roronoa Zoro."

"I'll remember it," Hawk-Eye promised, pulling his sword from its sheath. "It's been a while since I met one with such bravery. I shall honor the swordsman's code and send you to your death with the finest blade in the world."

Kim gasped at the sight of the long, black blade and her hands went to her mouth, eyes wide with horror.

Zoro began moving even as Hawk-Eye drew back to swing, the younger swordsman arranging his swords into a sort of spiral pattern.

Kim lunged for the railing, leaning over it. "ZORO!"

"THREE-SWORD STYLE SECRET TECHNIQUE! THREE THOUSAND WORLDS!" he bellowed, flying past Mihawk.

For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Then two of Zoro's swords shattered and he sheathed the Wado silently, blood spurting from his mouth and nose. He turned to Hawk-Eye with a melancholy smile, stating that wounds to the back were a swordsman's shame. Hawk-Eyes grinned as he slashed through Zoro's chest, sending the StrawHat pirate falling to the sea in a cloud of blood.

Kim leapt in after him without hesitation, using the railing to propel herself through the air so she could get to Zoro faster. Johnny and Yosaku followed her.

She reached him first, wrapping her arms around his chest and trying to pull him to the surface. When the bounty hunter pair caught up, they shoved her away and drug their friend to the surface, Kim following after them.

"Zoro!" she gasped, cradling the swordsman's head against her chest.

"Brother! Brother, speak to us!"

"Zoro!" Luffy cried, watching as more blood spurted from the swordsman's mouth.

There was a horrible roaring sound in Kim's ears, muting out all other sounds. She moved numbly as she aided Johnny and Yosaku in handing Zoro up to Usopp once the sniper sailed the bounty hunter pair's boat over. She leapt onto the boat with some help from Johnny and fell to her knees beside Zoro, taking the first aid kit from Usopp and ripping off a line off a strip of gauze to clean Zoro's wounds with. The swordsman cried out in his unconscious state, but Kim didn't let up. She hurriedly cleaned his wounds to the best of her ability and snatched up a blanket from the inside of the boat, pressing the cloth to Zoro's wounds in order to staunch the bleeding.

"Shit shitshitshit  _shit_!" Kim babbled, watching as Zoro's blood stained her hands. "Fucking hell. Okay, um gotta stop this. Shit! Usopp, hand me that – Should I go ahead and stitch this? Dammit! He's bleeding again! Get me that blanket again. Hold this here and put pressure on it – he'll bleed out if we don't stop this.  ** _Fuck!_** "

Kim froze when Zoro began shifting beneath her palms, fingers fumbling for his sword. His chest heaved under her hands as he unsheathed the Wado, holding it up high.

"Lu-Luffy? Can you hear me?" he gasped.

"I hear you!"

"Were you worried? If I fail... To become the world's greatest swordsman... You'll be disappointed, right?" He choked, blood spurting from his lips. "NEVER AGAIN! I WILL NEVER LOSE AGAIN!

From now until the day I beat him and become the world's greatest swordsman... I will never... LOSE AGAIN! Any problems with that... King of the Pirates!?"

Luffy grinned and Kim's shoulders sagged as she half-laughed, half-sobbed in relief.

"None at all!" Luffy assured and Kim turned back to fixing Zoro's shredded body. She didn't want to start stitching him up until they were out of rough waters and her hands were steadier.

She threw herself over Zoro, struggling to hold him in place as a giant wave rocked the ship, a result of Dracule 'Hawk-Eye' Mihawk's final attack on Krieg.

"Usopp! Kim! Set sail!" Luffy shouted.

"AYE AYE!" Usopp shouted back to him and Kim made a noise of distracted acknowledgement as she rushed around Zoro, getting the swordsman's blood all over her. She felt like a survivor from a horror movie.

Once they were a good distance away from the Baratie, she enlisted the boys' help in holding Zoro down while she and Usopp clumsily stitched him back up.

Kim hated playing doctor.

* * *

 


	30. Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh it's a whale of a tale on the deep blue sea~!

The ship was shaking.

Kim cried out in alarm as the water to the side of the ship began bubbling wildly, causing Johnny and Yosaku's little ship to bob madly in the resulting waves. Zoro grunted in pain as he was tossed around and Kim and Usopp threw themselves over him, holding him in place. If he was jostled around too much, there was a chance that his stitches could rip and he'd begin bleeding again. Neither the Straw Hat's Sniper nor Chronicler wanted that, seeing as they were nearly out of antibiotics and bandages. Besides, they'd have to do all their work over again and neither of them had the patience for it.

The bubbling waves finally broke with a great splash and everyone gaped as a whale sized  _fish_  leapt from the water, body gleaming in the sunlight. Or maybe it was a dolphin. Kim wasn't sure – she'd never seen an aquatic animal with tiger stripes before.

Usopp yelped in her ear as the excess water on the fish/dolphin/whatever the hell it was, fell on them, drenching the deck's occupants. Kim gasped into Zoro's shoulder, sputtering as seawater went up her nose and burned her. Zoro's wounds managed to stay relatively salt-water free (a blessing as putting salt in any wound hurt like hell) but Kim and Usopp's clothes were plastered to their bodies, putting Kim in a rather awkward position as her body reacted to the cold night-air.

She crossed her arms over her chest hurriedly and shivered, her gaze avoiding any of the boys'. "Can I get a blanket or something?" she asked weakly, face flushing slightly. Johnny offered her his jacket silently, eyes glued to her legs (again).

He and Yosaku had been in the ship's tiny kitchenette at the time and avoided getting soaked. When they saw the giant dolphin (Kim decided it was a dolphin now since it was just basking in the sunlight and breathing air) swimming around their boat, the bounty hunter pair went out on deck to gape at it and Kim ducked into the kitchenette gratefully and locked the door behind her.

She stripped off her outer clothes and rinsed them off in the sink, getting the sea water out quickly before the clothes were completely ruined. Then she toweled off the best she could before slipping Johnny's jacket on and buttoning it up all the way to her throat and if she stole a pair of Yosaku's shorts, well, he'd just have to deal with it then. She didn't have anything else on hand and was aggravated enough that she had to make do with men's clothes until hers were dry enough to wear. After she gave her hair a quick washing in the sink, she wrapped it in a towel and exited the kitchenette, carrying towels for Zoro and Usopp as well.

The sniper accepted his gratefully and helped Kim dry Zoro off since the swordsman had already went back to sleep. Once they were finished, they joined Johnny and Yosaku at the railing. The giant dolphin clicked at them cheerfully, bumping gently against the side of the boat.

Kim couldn't help but grin at it. "This guy's pretty cute."

Yosaku rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath about silly girls who didn't know a dangerous animal when they saw one. Kim took offense to that and apparently the dolphin did to.

It swam away from the boat a bit and then launched itself out of the water, snatching Yosaku up in its mouth. Johnny screamed in horror as the dolphin carried his beloved partner off. Kim frowned at the disappearing figure.

_Didn't Yosaku get carried back to the Baratie by a fish or something?_

She shrugged to herself and let Usopp handle the hysterical bounty hunter, walking back over to Zoro and settling down next to him for a nap.

Sleeping seemed to be the best time-killer when nothing really interesting was going on.

 


	31. Splish Splash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kim is pissed off.

"Usopp, I swear to God, I'm gonna kick your ass  ** _so_** hard when I get out of here!" Kim hissed, fixing her angry glare on the sniper. Usopp gulped and scurried away quickly once he was finished knotting the ropes around Kim's wrists. The moment Usopp moved away to help Johnny look for the Merry-go, Kim brought her wrists to her mouth and began gnawing through the rather thin ropes. Zoro had been tied with the thicker rigging.

She'd seen someone chew their way through ropes before. One of her friends had been hogtied and had to escape under a minute on behalf of a bet. He'd won twenty dollars from it.

Zoro watched her with mild interest, making a ruckus in order to distract Usopp and Johnny from noticing her struggle. He always knew Johnny was a moron, but Usopp was just the icing on the idiot cake. Zoro hadn't been (completely) serious about killing Nami for treason (only Luffy, being the captain, could decide on something like that), but they'd tied him up anyway as a means of deterrence. Kim had been caught when she tried to help him and tied up as well.

There was a quiet snap beneath the sounds of Zoro's shouts and Kim hurried to free her ankles as Johnny and Usopp spotted a couple of fishmen on the docks of Cocoyashi Village. The boys were too busy arguing with one another to see Kim freeing herself. She grimaced at the taste of the rope (she didn't even want to think about where that'd been) and swore under her breath as Johnny and Usopp jumped ship. Kim bit out a quick apology to Zoro before throwing herself overboard as well, forcing her body to stay submerged long enough for the fishmen to sail Johnny and Yosaku's boat toward Arlong Park.

When she thought she wouldn't be noticed, she clawed her way awkwardly to the surface, her still-bound ankles preventing her from swimming properly. Salt water filled her mouth and nose, choking her as she flailed helplessly in the water.

Strong arms came around her, supporting her weight, and Kim gasped in relief as her head broke clear of the water, the water in her lungs spilling out haphazardly as her body tried to expel the foreign water. Her chest heaved rapidly as she attempted to reclaim her breath. Kim's head flopped back onto Johnny's shoulder and she went limp as the bounty hunter grasped her about the shoulders, positioning her so that she was almost lying on him, before Johnny kicked firmly and began pulling her back towards the shore.

Once they were on the shore, Kim fell back, sprawling out on the sand. The damp ground clung to her face and hair and clothes but she couldn't care less. She was alive and happy about it for once. Johnny settled next to her, pulling her feet into his lap and working at the ropes around Kim's ankles. The girl glanced around them, taking in the sight of the village.

All the buildings, every single one of them, had been flipped over and destroyed. It was like a giant had simply reached out, picking them up and tossing them about like a child with a toy. Only there had been no giant here – only fishmen. The sight was terrifying.

"We've got to get moving," Kim murmured, rubbing her ankles once the ropes were gone. Johnny fidgeted nervously beside her. "Those fishmen have some freaky strength going on…"

"Maybe we should leave the island," Johnny suggested, earning himself an absentminded smack from Kim.

"Not a chance in Hell, boy-o. We came here for Nami and we're not leaving without her, captain's orders. Now come on and let's look around or something."

The brunette heaved herself to her feet and walked off, not waiting for Johnny. The bounty hunter scrambled after her quickly, keeping as close to her as he could without actually getting under her skin. Kim ignored him for the most part, peering periodically into the windows of the houses and ducking through the wreckage carefully. She stayed as silent as possible, a ghost in a foreign wasteland, while Johnny banged after her like a bull in a china store.

"Aneki," he said nervously. "What are we going to do if Arlong's gang catches us?"

"I dunno," Kim said lightly. "Considering that you and Usopp thought it would be a good idea to leave our best fighter as bait for the fishmen, I'd say we're pretty defenseless right about now. So, if we do get caught, we'll probably die. But, y'know, no worries or anything! I'm sure we'll be fine." She grinned at the bounty hunter brightly, taking pleasure in the way he whimpered and paled at the thought. Kim loved unsettling people.

Johnny moaned in despair and shifted toward her a little more, driving the girl to aggravation when he repeatedly stepped on the backs of her shoes. Kim shoved him out of her immediate personal space before trudging through the wreckage littered streets of the village and towards the woods. They had to be at Arlong Park in time to see Nami 'stab' Usopp so that they could relay the information back to the rest of the crew, and Kim would much rather be a messenger than get caught up in any real action.

The pair of them began their trek through the woods with ease, Kim less concerned about avoiding fishmen now that they were out of the village. As time went by without any fishmen sightings, Johnny began to relax, falling away from Kim's side and further behind her. The bounty hunter sighed to himself, frowning at Kim.

He wasn't quite sure what to think of her. Most of Zoro-aniki's crew was pretty cool, Luffy-aniki and Usopp-aniki especially. Nami-aneki wasn't too fond of him and Johnny, but she was really pretty and had a body that pretty much overruled any negative feelings Johnny might have had towards her. However, after the whole ship stealing incident, Johnny wasn't quite sure how he felt about Nami either…

Kim though, was a bit different. She spoke less about herself than anyone in the crew, but the others allowed Kim to drape herself over them like there were no boundaries between them. She was a bit skittish too, especially around guns and the like. Kim spoke like she was from a different time; a different place and her looks only amplified that. Johnny had met some interesting looking people (Zoro-aniki had green hair for crying out loud) but Kim was the oddest.

She looked relatively normal, nothing really outstanding about her apart from her eyes (an average hair color, not too tan or pale, a little on the tall side), but somehow she seemed… bolder. Her eyes were just a tad bit bigger, wider than normal, her jaw too strong and square. Her nose a little too big. Foreign. A little wider than Nami or any other woman too, especially in the hips.

"I can feel you staring at me," Kim said suddenly, her tone sour. "If I catch you looking anywhere below my waist I might gouge your eyes out."

Oh, yeah. Kim was mean, too. Like, seriously vindictive at times.

Johnny's eyes snapped away from her hips to rest safely on the back of her head. If anyone would gouge his eyes out, there was a good chance Kim would be the one to do it.

The brunette slowly came to a stop just outside the tree line, eyes fixed on something that was obviously unnerving her. Kim's body was tense, eyes narrowed and brow furrowed as she stared down… whatever it was she was staring at. Johnny came to a stop just behind her, looking over her shoulder curiously. He blinked in shock at what he was seeing.

Just a few meters away from the wall around Arlong Park was an incredibly tall, thick tree. A tree with a glowing, golden door in the trunk.

* * *

 


	32. Unexpected Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jianyu takes control over the story, Kim makes a weird face and the rest of the crew arrives. And not necessarily in that order.

_There's a golden door… in a tree. Great, now I've seen everything!_ Kim thought with a sigh, eyes still fixed on the odd sight before her. It was a beautiful sight to be sure, the golden lights illuminating the woods around them and casting warmth over Kim's bared skin, but it was an incredibly strange sight as well. Without her knowledge, the golden mask on her skin came to life, the color rushing through the near invisible patterns on her skin like rain water rushes through a dry riverbed after a storm. She would never have noticed the change had Johnny failed to announce it.

As it was, the shifting of Kim's skin frightened the bounty hunter into giving a girlish shriek and he stumbled away from her in shock, tripping over his own feet and falling into the bushes.

Kim reached out to help him back up and then, upon seeing the golden lines on her skin, stopped. The girl lifted her hand up to examine it and a thought popped to the forefront of her mind.

_That door made this come back somehow. Maybe that means that they're connected to one another. And Jianyu for that matter, seeing as I only got this… marking after he hatched. Besides, the door and my skin are both glowing gold…_

"I wonder," she said aloud, "what would happen if I opened this door."

Kim pushed forward through the rest of the brush, ignoring Johnny's hysterical pleas for her to stay away from the door (which she normally would have headed, had she not been so curious about the door's connection to the strange designs on her skin), until she stood just before it. The door's glow reflected unnaturally in her eyes, the light bouncing back much the way an animal's eyes reflected light, and the normally intense look in her eyes was severely amplified. The door's light pulsated for a moment and, in return, so did the markings on Kim's skin.

The brunette lifted her hand and pressed her fingertips against the smooth wood. When it refused to give way under the small pressure, she pressed both palms flat against the door and gave a firmer push.

Nothing happened.

At least, that's how it seemed at first.

Johnny sat up straighter with relief and Kim took a step back in disappointment.

The door swung open suddenly, a harsh wind blowing Kim's hair back and pushing Johnny over into the bushes with the very force of it. Kim squinted as the light blinded her and a gasp tore its way from her throat as a wave of pain shot through her limbs and she crumpled to the ground.

* * *

Jianyu growled to himself as he struggled to pull himself over the window sill. He would never understand the Speaking Creatures. No matter if they looked like his Lady or not (like the strange ones with fins), they wanted to build strange things to keep out the earth and skies.

They liked to stay in such weird positions too, their limbs bound to prevent them from moving freely (like the Swordsman his Lady liked so much).

Jianyu glanced over at the swordsman and saw that he hadn't moved since the Speaking Creatures with Fins brought him to the room Jianyu had been hiding in. The little Chimera wrinkled his nose and returned to trying to escape from the silly building.

He didn't like these structures and, though he'd never been bound before like the Swordsman, he didn't think it would be comfortable and he knew for sure that, should anyone try too, he would be very upset.

With a squeal of triumph, Jianyu finally pulled himself over the window sill. He looked out at the world with curious eyes.

He hadn't seen much of this Eye-Land apart from the building and now that he saw the size of it, his hopes of finding his Lady dwindled down a bit. When the Female with Fire Hair left the Sheep Ship, Jianyu had hidden in her back of Shiny Things then scrambled inside the building while she was speaking to the Swordsman and the Speaking Creatures with Fins.

It was only a strange coincidence that the Swordsman had been left in the room Jianyu had been exploring.

The little Chimera spared him one last glance before digging his claws into the wood of the outer building and scrambled down toward the ground.

His next goal was to get over the large wall, which was much easier now that he'd realized how to climb.

Jianyu leapt off the wall, landing on the Swordsman with Eye Coverings (who seemed rather distraught) and hurried over to the Life Tree where his Lady lay.

A whine built up in the back of his throat and he glanced hurriedly at the open door of the life tree. He pushed his snout against her cheek and whined again when she didn't respond.

The Chimera raced over to the Swordsman with Eye Coverings and snatched up a piece of pants leg with his mouth.

Johnny yelped in surprise as something latched onto his pants and attempted to shake whatever it was off. There was a low growl that reminded him of a puppy's and suddenly the bounty hunter was yanked off his feet and dragged (with a great struggle on Jianyu's part) over to Kim's limp body.

Johnny squeezed his eyes together and tensed in preparation of suffering the same fate as Kim.

Nothing happened.

Johnny opened his eyes and looked past Kim into the open doorway. The color dropped from his face and his body, with little conscious movement from Johnny, scrambled to its feet and the bounty hunter scooped up Kim and the little dog-like animal clinging to her hair and raced away from the tree.

The bounty hunter sank to his knees next to the wall around Arlong Park, breathing heavily and propping Kim up against the concrete. The brunette's head lolled forward and the mask of golden lines shimmered around her face. Johnny whimpered to himself and scrubbed a hand through his short black hair.

Oh man, he was going to be in so much trouble when Zoro found out Johnny had let Kim get hurt. She had been in his care and now she was unconscious and Zoro was going to kill him!

Johnny took a step back away from Kim and took a breath to calm himself.

"I guess the first thing to do would be to check and make sure that Arlong hasn't noticed our presence on the island yet." He blew out a long breath, cheeks puffing up, and started scaling the wall. When he got to the top, he lifted his head just high enough to see what was happening on the other side.

Johnny clamped a hand over his mouth in horror and trembled as a fishman with huge lips dragged Usopp-aniki in by the nose.

The bounty hunter watched with wide eyes as Usopp was dropped in front of Arlong, stepped on by the fishman, nearly had his nose cut off and tried to bluff his way out of being killed by Arlong. The more hysterical Usopp got, the more panicked Johnny felt.

Then, when Nami strode in like she owned the place and began going off on the fishmen, Johnny relaxed a little, convinced that she was here to help. At least, that's what he thought at first.

When the red head pulled a knife on Usopp and drove it into his stomach, Johnny left out a sob of anguish.

He trusted her! Zoro-aniki, Luffy-aniki, and Kim-aneki had trusted her and look what happened! Now Usopp-aniki was dead because of her treachery!

"I can't believe it!" Johnny sobbed, lifting a hand to his head in disbelief. "Nami-aniki killed Usopp-aniki! He's dead! She killed him! That witch!"

Johnny hurried to retrieve Kim's limp form, piggybacking her and the little dog-thing as he ran away in search of Zoro-aniki to deliver the awful news.

He barreled across a field and stumbled as he hit a ditch. His chin wobbled as he spotted Zoro-aniki, Luffy-aniki, Yosaku and the blond cook from the Baratie gathered around the wreckage of a ship (how it ended up in the middle of the island Johnny neither knew nor cared) and the dark haired bounty hunter burst into tears once more as Zoro worried over saving Usopp.

"He's already dead!" Johnny howled, dropping to his knees and sliding Kim off his back. "Nami murdered him!"

The crew gaped at him in surprise.

* * *

 


	34. Gatherings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Usopp rises from the dead only to be sent back.

"Johnny!" Zoro snapped, dragging himself out of the wreckage around him. He winced as the stitches pulled on his chest. "What the hell are you talking about?! And what happened to Kim!"

Luffy scowled, feeling both annoyed with Johnny and confused with Zoro. The swordsman always called her by Leonore. He must have been really worried to call her by the first name.

"You... can't be serious!" Yosaku gasped in disbelief.

Johnny fell over miserably. "It's true! She's been betraying us all along. She's just a cold blooded killer working for that creep Arlong!"

"Shut up!" Luffy shouted, rushing forward and grabbing the collar of Johnny's shirt. The rubberman stuck his face close to Johnny's, lips twisted into a snarl and his brow furrowed into a glare. "Say another word and I swear you'll regret it!"

"Easy there, Luffy." Zoro said placating, moving over to pull him off of the terrified Johnny. "This doesn't have anything to do with him."

Sanji was busy with Kim though, having scooped the brunette up. He cradled her to his chest and frowned at the scene before him. This was not the scene he or Luffy had expected to arrive to.

"Believe what you want but I know what I saw!" Johnny cried. "Nami-aniki killed Usopp-aniki!"

"Be quiet! Nami wouldn't kill Usopp in a million years! She wouldn't! Usopp is her friend!"

Johnny trembled under Luffy's anger.

"Friends?" A new voice scoffed and Zoro narrowed his eyes at the slender figure before them.

Nami crossed her arms with a self-satisfied smirk, but her eyes flickered to Kim's limp form with hidden concern.

"Nami!" Luffy cried, dropping Johnny as he whirled around to stare at the red head with wide eyes.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"What are we doing here?" Luffy repeated blankly, frowning at Nami. "We're here for you of course!"

"You're such a pest." Nami scowled.

"Nami?" Luffy asked hesitantly.

"Friends? Ha! You and your little crew are just pathetic enough to deserve each other."

Johnny apparently couldn't take anymore of Nami's lack of regret and the bounty hunter leapt to his feet, accusing Nami of murdering Usopp before he broke down once more.

"Yep," Nami confirmed with a devilish smirk. "So kill me and get your revenge if you want. Word of the wise gentlemen. Because of your  _friend's_  stupidity, Arlong is planning to slaughter Roronoa Zoro and his crew. I don't care how monstrous your strength is. Compared to real monsters, you're  _nothing_. I promise you, stay on this island and you will die. Therefore, you have a choice to make between life and death."

Zoro growled and gritted his teeth, glaring at Nami with all his might (and, if he threw another one in Sanji's direction, well, he'll deal with it). The blond was drooling over Nami, finding her cold attitude sexy.

"Can it Romeo!" Zoro snapped, stalking over to Sanji and pulling Kim away from the blond. "This ain't the time for any bullshit romancing."

"Pardon?" Sanji asked darkly, a vein throbbing in his forehead. He snatched Kim back (carefully though) from Zoro. "Love is a hurricane! It can't - hey! Listen to me!"

Zoro ignored him, taking a threatening step toward Nami. "Enough of this! Nami! Where is Usopp?!"

"With the fishes." Nami grinned.

Zoro bellowed out in rage and raced at Nami, drawing his sword as he did. Sanji shot forward at the same time, shoving Kim into Luffy's arm before leaping forward to block Zoro's slash.

"A swordsman striking a lady? How dishonorable." the blond scoffed, taking a deep drag on his cigarette and letting it go with a sigh.

"Open your eyes, asshole! You're really starting to piss me off here!"

"If someone had stopped my attack so easily, I'd be angry too."

Zoro's eyes widened and he snarled at the blond. "What the hell did you say? Watch your mouth!"

"I'll say what I want, bastard!" Sanji spat back, getting up in Zoro's face.

"Y'know, I wasn't aware this was going to be that kind of a performance. Make sure to wear protection please!"

"Kim!" Luffy cried in delight, hugging the brunette tightly. She winced at the strength but hugged him back nonetheless.

Sanji flushed at the implication behind her words and both men backed down from the fight, avoiding each other's gaze awkwardly.

"You guys need to quit your bickering and high tail it out of here." Nami scowled. "Outsiders have no business in this island's affairs. The only reason I joined up with you guys was so I could rob you blind. But you were broke so everything was pointless. So take your ship and get the hell away from here."

"That sounds kind of familiar," Kim murmured tiredly, slumping against Luffy's chest. "Unfortunately, I can't be bothered to remember why."

Johnny and Yosaku were suitably angry with Nami but Kim just sighed and yawned into Luffy's shoulder.

"Goodbye now." Nami rolled her eyes.

"Nami," Luffy murmured, tightening his grip on Kim ever so slightly.

Then the rubberman fell backwards, making Kim squeal at the sudden shift, and the pair of them landed on the ground, Kim sprawled out on top of Luffy just like the day they met. She'd forgotten about this part.

As the rest of the boys exclaimed and worried about Luffy, the rubberman buried his face in Kim's hair and muttered that he was sleepy. The worry quickly shifted into disbelief and annoyance but Luffy wasn't listening. He didn't want to know anyone's business and besides, he was pretty tired! Kim just sighed again and cuddled up to him.

Nami snapped, screaming at Luffy before running away.

Sanji moved as if he wanted to chase after her, but stopped himself a moment later. Instead he turned to frown at Kim and Luffy. Upon seeing his disgruntled look, Kim grinned and held up an arm in a silent invitation. The blond grinned back and practically dove into Kim's arms, snuggling up against her happily. Zoro growled until Luffy's arm shot out and dragged him into the StrawHat pile as well.

Johnny and Yosaku blinked at them in surprise.

"My boys," Kim muttered possessively.

"Whatever you want, my dear!" Sanji sang. For once, Zoro agreed with the cook.

"What are we going to do?" Yosaku cried. "Arlong's out to kill us! We gotta get out of here!"

"Now that we know Nami's true nature, there's no reason for us to stick around!" Johnny added sensibly. Kim cracked open an eye to stare at him in disbelief.

"The reason for staying here currently has me in an iron grip." Zoro grunted, poking Luffy in the ribs. The rubberman giggled and squirmed happily. "I'm staying because he's staying."

"Seconded!" Kim chimed sleepily.

"I'll follow you anywhere~!" Sanji finished cheerfully.

"That's so stupid!" Yosaku protested. "You can't be serious about this! Do you want her back too?!"

"What I want has nothing to do with this," Zoro said sagely. "I don't get to decide who our navigator is. That's the captain's decision."

"And the Captain's word is law." Kim finalized seriously, lifting her head to look the bounty hunters in the eye.

Johnny hesitated, and then straightened up with a nod. "I understand. Sorry to cut our reunion short but we can't stay here any longer."

"Fine. See you around then." Zoro shrugged.

Kim pulled herself out of Sanji and Luffy's arms (and untangled her fingers from Zoro's) in order to pull of her borrowed jacket. "Don't forget this! Thanks for letting me borrow it, Johnny! Nice meeting you guys!" She waved them off before flopping back into the pirate pile and letting herself fall asleep. Kim's arms felt heavier now and her hands tingled constantly, much like the feeling in a limb as it moves again after being still for a long time. A few strands of her dark hair were tugged around by the sudden breeze and she let out a mighty snore. Well, she never said she slept quietly.

"Hey," Sanji said suddenly, playing with some of Kim's hair. "What was up with that? Why do you think Nami was crying?"

"Was she? I didn't notice." Zoro said carelessly, examining his and Kim's entwined fingers.

"She was in her heart." Sanji said softly.

"Tch. Tears, huh? Tears of guilt then, for killing Usopp."

"Seriously? You are pretty dense you know?" Sanji smirked. "There's no way Nami killed Usopp."

"So, what you're saying is that Nami didn't kill him?" Zoro frowned contemplatively.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Sanji asked, letting Kim's hair slide from his fingers.

Zoro dropped Kim's hand and propped himself up to sneer at Sanji. "I don't know. I've always thought of her as a small time crook who wouldn't watch anyone die in front of her, let alone kill him." The swordsman shrugged. "Maybe she just snapped."

Sanji froze, head snapping up. "What'd you say? Nami's not small time!"

The cook jumped up and threw himself at Zoro in an attack, which the swordsman swiftly went to block. However, before their two attacks could meet one another, a barrier met them in the form of Usopp's face.

"He's alive!" Sanji croaked, wincing.

"Well... he was," Zoro grimaced. "Hope he still is..."

After that, Zoro shook Luffy and Kim awake so that they could see the truth for themselves.

Kim yawned and slumped over onto the swordsman, rubbing tiredly at her eyes. Luffy, however, leapt to his feet with a shriek.

"Usopp! Did Nami do this to you?!" he shook the sniper hysterically.

"Actually," Sanji said sheepishly, pointing toward the crew's swordsman as he helped Kim to her feet. "Zoro and I did that."

"Hey, you did that!" Zoro snapped in protest.

"Luffy," Usopp muttered. "You're here now!"

"Hi! I'm here too!" Sanji grinned, waving at Usopp.

The sniper glared at the blond and leapt up to growl at him. "One of these days I'll kill you!"

"I see you've made a full recovery!"

"Shut up!"

"Y'know, we kinda heard you were dead." Zoro interrupted, looking the very alive Usopp over curiously.

"Yeah, Nami killed you." Kim added, smiling at her favorite sniper.

"Stupid Johnny!" Luffy rolled his eyes. "He was spouting crazy stuff all this time!"

"Actually," Usopp said. "It's sort of true. She killed me... to save my life."

Usopp went on to tell the story of what happened after he landed on the island, telling everything from attacking the Fishmen pirates in Cocoyashi Village to his capture and faked death. When he was finished, Kim was wide awake and the crew exchanged a look.

"Fine, but what do we do now?" Zoro asked, crossing his arms. "Do we destroy Arlong Park?"

"Hold up!" Usopp cried, waving his hands frantically. "Don't you think finding out what's going on with Nami should be our first priority?!"

"No matter what you do, it won't change anything. Arlong's rule will never end."

Everyone blinked in surprise and turned to stare at the newcomer, a tall, curvy woman with short blue hair and a tribal tattoo stretching from her right elbow, up her arm and across her collarbone. It was Nami's elder sister, Nojiko, come to warn them away from Nami.

"Nojiko!" Usopp said in surprise.

"Who's that?" Luffy squinted at her.

"She's Nami's big sister." Usopp's words sent Sanji into a swoon, the blond cooing over Nojiko like a child with a shiny new toy.

"What do you mean?" Zoro asked, ignoring Sanji.

"Leave poor Nami alone and leave this island. I'll explain everything if you'll let me, including why she's with Arlong and his cronies. If that doesn't get you to leave, then I don't know what will!"

"Nothing," Kim answered, stretching idly.

"I'll pass," Luffy said lightly, walking away. "I don't care about her past."

"Where are you going, Luffy?" Sanji asked, raising a curly eyebrow.

"For a walk!"

"Ooooh," Kim perked up. "Can I join you? I need to swing by the Merry-go anyways to get my naginata! Come on Jianyu!"

The brunette bounced after Luffy, her chimera hot on her heels.

The three of them disappeared over the hill in the road, ignoring Usopp's shouts of disbelief.

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> I thought that maybe it would be a good idea to post this here too. I've had it up on FF.net for almost a year now so there's a good bit of this coming.


End file.
